March 1, 2009

The University of Dayton women's golf team enters the 2009 spring season looking to not only replicate the success earned last year, but continue to progress and challenge for the Colonial Athletic Association championship.

Dayton opens the spring season March 2-3 at the Savannah College Spring Invitational held in Savannah, Ga. The two-day event will be held at the Wilmington Island Country Club.

Head coach Sally Kosters will lead the young but experienced UD squad in four spring events and the tournament championship in April.

Kosters is hopeful that confidence will manifest itself with a 2009 squad of young players who have the game to be not only a contender at the conference level, but also at the national level.

This past fall season, the Flyers had two second place finishes and two third place finishes. UD was led by junior Katie Dempsey whose 82.6 stroke average was tops on the team. Close behind was sophomore Julie Pouliquen who carded an 83.0 average during the fall campaign.

But UD will have plenty of depth and talented players to challenge opponents. Junior Cari DeAngelis improved greatly carding a career-best 84.7 during the fall campaign. Junior Paige Smith tied for the team lead in total rounds played in the fall and shot a career-best 76 at the IPFW Fall Classic.

Freshman Clara Ang came on strong late in the fall season and finished third on the team with an 84.0 stroke average. Junior Katie Gallagher looks to play more consistently after an up-and-down fall, but is capable of putting up low scores.

Sophomores Megan Keating, Heather Grant and Ellen Ciacchini, along with freshman Heather Jorgensen, made strides over the fall and will look to make a contribution as well.

After the trip to Savannah, UD will the play at the Butler Spring Invitational and the EKU Lady Colonial Invitational before the CAA Championship.

The spring campaign has been successful of late for the Flyers. UD flourished last year's spring season winning the Ashland and Bellarmine Invitationals. Dayton finished in the Top Five in seven events and returns its five best scoring golfers from a year ago.