April 16, 2008

Results

NINETY-SIX, S.C. -- Led by a 77 from freshman Katie Jurenovich (Warren, Ohio/Howland), the Bucknell women's golf team shot 315 on Wednesday to finish fourth at the Big South Championship, its best finish in six years of play in the conference.

Seeded fifth entering the tournament, the Bison shot 315 in the final round to secure the fourth-place finish. Bucknell entered the day tied for fourth with Radford, but Jurenovich's strong day along with a 78 from Kristen Phalen (Duxbury, Mass./Tabor Academy) and a 79 from Amy Loughney (Macungie, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) helped the Bison beat the Highlanders by 10 shots.

Also for Bucknell on Wednesday, Emily Chiodo (Strasburg, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) shot 81 and Deirdre Moran (Bryn Mawr, Pa./Academy of Notre Dame) finished with an 83.

Jurenovich's 77 was her best round of the spring and equaled her collegiate best, but her T-8th finish was ultimately somewhat bittersweet since she missed earning All-Big South honors by one shot. The only other Bison to finish in the top 10 at the Big South Championship was Loughney, who did it in both 2005 and 2007.

Jurenovich did share low-freshman honors with Coastal Carolina's Alicia Grier. Both shot 235 for the week.

Bucknell's final round 315 tied its second-best score in a Big South Championship. Chiodo (15th), Phalen (17th) and Loughney (T19th) all finished in the top 20.

Bucknell's previous best team finish was fifth, in both 2005 and 2006.

Charleston Southern shot 931 for the week and won the team title by four shots over Coastal Carolina. Winthrop (944) was third, followed by Bucknell (973), Radford (983), High Point (990) and Holy Cross (1061). Future Big South member Presbyterian finished at 1,102, but its scores were not counted.

Ann Marie Dalton of High Point defeated Charleston Southern's Olivia Jordan-Higgins in a five-hole playoff to win the individual title. Jordan-Higgins led after each of teh first two rounds, but she shot 80 on Wednesday and Dalton fired a 1-over 73.

Bucknell's spring season is now complete. The Bison teed it up against the most challenging schedule in program history this year, and they rewrote the record books with 18, 36 and 54-hole team records, a pair of individual records (73s from Chiodo and Phalen), as well as their best-ever championship finish.