Delaware's Kohkhlova captures individual title in Terrapin Invitational; Michigan claims team crown

 

   The weather conditions were less than ideal, your basic early April mid-40s with an occasional drizzle and a biting wind kind of day, but Delaware’s Alisa Khokhlova, a senior from Russia, held on to capture the individual title in the Terrapin Invitational, which wrapped up Monday at the University of Maryland Golf Course in College Park, Md.

   It was Khokhlova’s second individual victory of the wraparound 2024-2025 season and third of her career as she closed with a solid 1-under 71 over the 6,244-yard, par-72 University of Maryland Golf Course layout in the difficult conditions to finish with a 2-under 214 total and a one-shot victory over Harvard’s Vanessa Zhang, a freshman from Canada.

   Khokhlova trailed Zhang by a shot going into Monday’s final round as Khokhlova added a 1-over 73 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round to her opening round of 2-under 70.

   Zhang had added a 3-under 69 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round to her opening round of 1-over 73, but could only manage another 1-over 73 in the final round that left her a shot behind Khokhlova with a 1-under 215 total.

   Khokhlova led the Blue Hens to a fifth-place finish in the team standings with a 22-over 890 total in their final tuneup for their final appearance in the Coastal Athletic Association Championship, which tees off Friday at The Reserve Club at St. James Plantation in Southport, N.C.

   The team title in the Terrapin Invitational went to Michigan, one of four Big Ten programs in the field in College Park that will be back in Maryland when the Big Ten Championship tees off April 18 at Bulle Rock Golf Course, the Pete Dye design that once hosted a major championship on the LPGA Tour, in Havre de Grace, Md.

   After opening with a 4-over 292, Michigan, No. 73 in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings, recorded the only team round under par for the tournament, a 1-under 287, in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round. The Wolverines closed with a 10-over 298 in Monday’s cold and rain for a 13-over 877 total that was seven shots clear of runnerup High Point.

   Michigan was led by one of its Sung twins, Lauren Sung, a junior from Palo Alto, Calif. who finished in a tie for third place with Maryland’s Karla Elena Vazquez Setzer, a graduate student from Mexico who was competing as an individual, as each landed on even-par 216, a shot behind Zhang.

   After opening with a 3-over 75, Lauren Sung posted a 4-under 68, the low individual round of the tournament, in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 1-over 73.

   Michigan failed to advance to last spring’s NCAA Championship at the La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. as the Wolverines finished in ninth place as a six seed in the Auburn Regional.

   High Point, a Big South representative, added a 5-over 293 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round to its opening round of 4-over 292 before finishing up with an 11-over 299 that left the Panthers, No. 89 in the Scoreboard rankings, in second place with a 20-over 884 total.

   Solid showing by Georgetown, a Big East representative, as the Hoyas finished a shot behind High Point in third place with a 21-over 885 total. After opening with an 11-over 299, the Hoyas added a pair of 5-over 293s in the final two rounds, their final round easily the best team round on a miserable Monday.

   Host Maryland, another Big Ten representative and at No. 57 in the Scoreboard rankings the highest-ranked team in the field, finished a shot behind Georgetown in fourth place with a 22-over 886 total.

   The Terrapins only trailed Michigan by two shots going into the final round after they added a 1-over 289 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round to their opening round of 4-over 292, but they struggled a little in Monday’s brutal conditions, closing with a 305.

   Delaware was another four shots behind Maryland in fifth place at 26-over as the Blue Hens opened with a 4-over 292 and added a 10-over 298 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 300.

   Delaware will be defending the CAA title it won a year ago when the conference championship opens Friday. That win earned the Blue Hens a berth in the Bermuda Run Regional. Delaware will be leaving the CAA to join Conference USA for the beginning of the 2025-’26 season.

   Notre Dame, out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, finished two shots behind Delaware in sixth place with a 28-over 892 total. The Fighting Irish, No. 82 in the Scoreboard rankings, had the team lead with its opening round of 2-over 290 and added a 7-over 295 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 307.

   Penn State, getting another solid showing from Jiratchaya Jiratthitinun, its talented freshman from Thailand, finished in a tie for eighth place with Navy, out of the Patriot League, each landing on 35-over 899.

   The Nittany Lions, who will be teeing it up in the Big Ten Championship over the Easter weekend at Bulle Rock, opened with a 300 and added a solid 5-over 293 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before struggling in the tough conditions of Monday’s final round with a 306.

   Backing up Lauren Sung for Michigan was Mara Janess, a redshirt sophomore from Barrington, Ill. who finished in a tie for 15^th place with a 4-over 220 total. After opening with a 1-over 73, Janess added a 1-under 71 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 4-over 76.

   Grace Wang, a sophomore from Rochester, Mich., gave the Wolverines a third top-20 finisher as she landed in the group tied for 19^th place with a 6-over 222 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Wang added a 2-over 74 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 4-over 76.

   Junior Sydney Sung, the other Sung twin from Palo Alto, Calif., finished in a tie for 23^rd place with a 7-over 223 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Sydney Sung added a 2-over 74 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 5-over 77.

   The entire Michigan lineup ended up in the top 25 as Thomasine Barthholdson, a freshman from Sweden, rounded out the lineup for the Wolverines by finishing in a tie for 25^th place with an 8-over 224 total. After opening with a 5-over 77, Barthholdson added a 2-over 74 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a solid 1-over 73 in Monday’s difficult conditions.

   Jenna Shilts, a freshman from Frankfort, Ill., competed as an individual for Michigan and finished among the group tied for 40^th place with a 229 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Shilts added a 5-over 77 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with an 80.

   Maryland’s Vazquez Setzer bounced back from an opening round of 3-over 75 with a 2-under 70 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 1-under 71 to get a share of third place with Michigan’s Lauren Sung at even-par.

   A couple of freshmen, High Point’s Anais Arafi of Switzerland and Maryland’s Chanayu Chowiwattana of Thailand, finished in a tie for fifth place, each landing on 1-over 217.

   The Panthers’ Arafi was tied with Zhang for the individual lead going into the final round as she matched Zhang’s scores in Sunday’s double round, a 1-over 73 in the opening round and a 3-under 69 in the afternoon. Arafi closed with a 3-over 75.

   After opening with a 1-over 73, Chowiwattana matched par in each of the last two rounds with a pair of steady 72s.

   Penn State’s Jiratthitinun headed a group of four players tied for seventh place at 2-over 218. Jiratthitinun matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 1-under 71 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 3-over 75.

   It was the second straight top-10 finish for Jiratthitinun as she was the leading lady for Penn State by finishing in a tie for 10^th place in the Clemson Invitational the previous weekend at The Reserve at Lake Keowee in Sunset, S.C.

   Rounding out the foursome at 2-over were High Point’s Anna Howerton, a sophomore from France, Maryland’s Nicha Kanpai, a junior from Thailand, and Navy’s Emma Tang, a sophomore from Chino Hills, Calif.

   Howerton opened with a 2-under 70 and matched par in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round with a 72 to earn a share of the individual lead with her teammate Arafi and Harvard’s Zhang going into the final round before closing with a 4-over 76.

   Kanpai gave the Terrapins a third finisher among the top seven as she matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 1-under 71 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 3-over 75.

   Tang matched the best round of the opening round with a 2-under 70 and added a 3-over 75 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before finishing up with a 1-over 73.

   Lilia Henkel, a senior from Grand Rapids, Mich., gave Delaware another top-20 finisher as she ended up among the group tied for 19^th place with a 6-over 222 total. After opening with a solid 2-under 70, Henkel added a 3-over 75 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 5-over 77.

   Henkel will be the defending individual champion when the CAA Championship tees off Friday at The Reserve Club at St. James Plantation. In looking back at the post I did on last year’s CAA Championship, I had that as Delaware’s farewell appearance in the CAA, but pretty sure this year is really it.

  Sophomore Marissa Malosh, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at South Fayette, finished among a trio tied for 30^th place for the Blue Hens with a 9-over 225 total. Malosh rattled off three straight 3-over 75s.

   Sophomore Mary Grace Dunigan, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Unionville who helped the Longhorns capture the Class AAA state team title in 2020, finished among the group tied for 40^th place with a 229 total.

   Dunigan, who transferred to Delaware after spending a year at William & Mary, sandwiched a 3-over 75 with a pair of 5-over 77s at the University of Maryland layout.

   Dunigan was coming off a runnerup finish in Delaware’s last outing, the More Than Golf Invitational, with a 4-under 215 total at the Old Barnwell Golf Club in Aiken, S.C. Dunigan’s performance led the Blue Hens to a runnerup finish behind Georgia Southern in the team chase with an 18-over 894 total.

   Hyunji Kim, a freshman from England, rounded out the Delaware lineup as she finished in a tie for 59^th place with a 233 total. After opening with a 6-over 78, Kim added a 3-over 75 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with an 80.

   Patty Post, the director of golf for both the men’s and women’s programs at Delaware, brought Anushka Sawant, a freshman from South Brunswick, N.J., along to compete as an individual and Sawant responded by finishing among the group tied for 25^th place with an 8-over 224 total.

   After opening with a 3-over 75, Sawant recorded a solid 1-under 71 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 78.

   Backing up Jiratthitinun for Penn State was senior Michelle Cox, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier during a standout scholastic career at Emmaus as she finished in the group tied for 19^th place with a 6-over 222 total. Cox rattled off three straight 2-over 74s.

   Drew Nienhaus, a senior from St. Louis, Mo. who has had a solid spring campaign, finished among a trio tied for 32^nd place at 10-over 226 for the Nittany Lions. Nienhaus added a 1-over 73 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round to her opening-round 74 before closing with a 79.

   Jami Morris, a senior from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, finished among the trio tied for 61^st place with a 234 total as she opened with an 80 and added a 4-over 76 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round before closing with a 78.

   Rounding out the Penn State lineup was freshman Gwendolyn Powell, a four-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at North Pocono who finished in a tie for 79^th place with 241 total. Powell was solid in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round with a 3-over 75, but struggled with a pair of 86s in the first and final rounds.

   Penn State head coach Kristen Simpson brought along Lauren Thompstone, a freshman from France, to compete as an individual and Thompstone responded with a solid showing, ending up in the group tied for 19^th place at 6-over 222. Thompstone registered a pair of solid 1-over 73s in Sunday’s double round before closing with a 76.

   Not surprised to see freshman Hannah Rabb, a four-time PIAA Class AA qualifier and the Class AA state champion in 2022 as a junior at Warrior Run, in the starting lineup for James Madison.

   Rabb finished among the group tied for 51^st place with a 231 total as she posted a pair of 3-over 75s in Sunday’s double round before closing with an 81.

   The Dukes, playing out of the Sun Belt Conference, finished in 12^th place in the 14-team field with a 58-over 922 total. James Madison will tee off in the Sun Belt Championship Monday at the Lakewood Club in Point Clear, Ala.

   Senior Lauren Jones, the Inter-Ac League’s individual champion as a senior at Episcopal Academy in 2021, was in the Richmond lineup and struggled while finishing in 73^rd place with a 240 total. Jones bounced back from an opening-round 81 with a solid 1-over 73 in the afternoon of Sunday’s double round, but couldn’t find her game in the rain and cold of Monday’s final round as she closed with an 86.

   The Spiders, who left the Patriot League behind for the Atlantic 10 Conference this season, finished in 10^th place in the Terrapin Invitational with a 37-over 901 total.

   Richmond will tee it up in the A-10 Championship for the first time April 17 at the Evermore Resort’s Cypress Course in Orlando, Fla.