MT Captures First Conference Title

Monday, April 20

Fort Myers, Fla.

Middle Tennessee

2015 C-USA Championship

4/22/2015 2:37:00 PM | Women's Golf

Raiders beat FIU by eight strokes

By: @MTAthletics

Final Team Standings | Final Player Standings

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Middle Tennessee women's golf team captured its first league title in the program's 14-year history after holding on for the top spot at the 2015 Conference USA Women's Golf Championship at the Verandah Club.

The Blue Raiders combined for a 1-over 289 during the final round and recorded the lowest 54-hole total in school history with a 7-under 857. It's also the second-lowest tournament score in the history of the C-USA championship, just one stroke behind the record.

"I'm speechless, and just extremely excited to have the first team championship with this group," head coach Chris Adams said. "It means a lot because these girls work so hard week in and week out, and it's a lot of fun to watch them play."

Middle Tennessee had a slow start to Wednesday's final round and saw its eight-stroke lead trimmed to one, but the resilient Blue Raiders kept it together to fend off No.1 seed FIU.

"I thought we started a little tight, but I don't think the girls were nervous," Adams said. "We knew there were a lot of birdies left out there and we just kept patient like we have been all year. They didn't know the score or where we stood, so I just kept preaching patience and they really played well."

Samantha Gotcher set a new school record with her 9-under 207 total as she finished runner-up to FIU's Meghan MacLaren. Gotcher stumbled out of the gate with a bogey and double bogey, but she put an exclamation point on the end of her career performance when she birdied the final two holes.

"It was great to play well, but my focus going into today was on the team," Gotcher said. "This is the only time in my whole life I'm going to play as team, I can worry about my individual play the rest of my life. I remember standing around at the end with Emily (Miller) when we heard we had won, and it was just such a great feeling to get the first championship for this program."

Gotcher earned all-tournament recognition, along with Avery George.

George (tied for fourth) and Emily Williams (tied for ninth) both shot 1-under 71 and finished among the top 10. The two juniors were the glue that kept MT from falling apart on the front nine, as they combined to go 1-under when the other three Raiders shot over par. Williams also set a new personal-best 54-hole total score of 216.

Allie Knight earned a 28th-place finish, while Emily Miller was 36th.

MT outdistanced second place FIU by eight strokes, while UTSA was third, North Texas fourth and Old Dominion fifth.

With the win, Middle Tennessee earned the conference automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals. The field will be announced during a selection show on Monday, April 27, at 6 p.m. CT on the Golf Channel.

Tournament Notes
First league championship in school history
First NCAA Regional bid in school history
First team to shoot under 290 in all three rounds at C-USA championship
Best three-round team total in school history (857)
Second lowest three-round team total in C-USA championship history (857)
Best three-round individual total in school history (207, Samantha Gotcher)
Tied lowest team round in school history (281-2nd rd.)
Tied lowest team round in C-USA championship history (281-2nd rd.)
Best single round by an MT individual during conference championship (67-2nd rd., Samantha Gotcher)

All-Tournament Team
Meghan MacLaren, FIU
Samantha Gotcher, MT
Camino Sardinero, UTEP
Maggie Simmermacher, ODU
Avery George, MT