Coming off of a 10th place finish at the NCAA Championships this past spring, the Saint Mary’s golf team will look to recapture the MIAA Championship and make a return trip to the NCAA Finals again in the spring of 2010.
With four of the top five golfers from last year’s squad returning, the Belles are in a strong position to regain the MIAA title for the first time since 2005. Among those returning is last season’s MIAA Season Medalist and All-MIAA First Team honoree Rosie O’Connor. The junior claimed top honors in the league last season with an 80.2 stroke average in MIAA competitions and was a National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) All-Region honoree.
Fellow juniors Mary Kate Boyce and Emily Gore emerged last spring as top competitors on the conference and national level and will be looked upon to help the Belles contend for championships this year. Boyce burst upon the scene in her first season with the Belles with a 77 in just her second round of competition, and later shared medalist honors at one of the three MIAA spring qualifiers. Gore was the medalist at a pair of spring events and had the team’s highest individual finish at the NCAA Tournament by earning a tie for 17th place.
Natalie Matuszak will also be returning and will look to play an integral role in the Belles’ success. The sophomore earned All-MIAA Second Team honors last fall and was consistently among the top scorers for the Belles during her first collegiate season.
“Coming off a 10th place finish at nationals and only losing one player to graduation, we expect another great season,” commented head coach Mark Hamilton. “With the talent level of women’s golf around the country getting better every year, we will be working hard from day one to improve upon last year’s finish and work towards our ultimate goal of contending for a National Championship.”
