Lady Pioneers Earn NCAA Championship Berth

AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Denver women’s golf team shot a final-round 4-over par 292 Saturday, finishing in third place of the NCAA Central Regional Championships and earning a second consecutive berth in the NCAA Championships. DU shot rounds of 292-298-292 – 882 (18-over par) at The University of Texas Golf Club and finished among the top eight teams for the second consecutive season, and will play at the NCAA National Championships May 20-23 in Albuquerque at the University of New Mexico Golf Championship Golf Course. DU finished 21 shots back of regional champion UCLA, who shot a 54-hole score of 861 (3-under par) for a 10 shot victory over second place Purdue (871). 

The top eight teams from the Central Regional advance to Nationals, and DU will make its second consecutive trip after finishing 20th there last season. 

Leading the way for the Pioneers in the tournament was sophomore Stephanie Sherlock (Barrie, Ontario), who shot a 2-over par 74 Saturday and finished with a 54-hole score of 220 (4-over par). Sherlock shot 74-72-74 – 220 and finished 12 strokes back of a two-way tie for first place between Maria Hernandez of Purdue and Maria Uribe of UCLA, who both finished ay 8-under par 208.

Next for Denver was senior Chelsea Benton (Englewood, Colo.), who shot DU’s best final round with a 3-under par 69 Saturday to shoot up the leaderboard and finish in a tie for 19th place. Benton began the final round in a tie for 48th place but was one of just four sub-70 rounds on Saturday. Benton’s stellar round featured three birdies and no bogeys in her best round of the tournament.

Next for the Pioneers was junior Dawn Shockley (Estes Park, Colo.), who shot a 75 Saturday for a 54-hole score of 224 (8-over par) to finish in a tie for 27th. 

Denver’s other counting score Saturday was turned in by freshman Ellie Givens (Darlington, England), who shot a 2-over par 74 for a 54-hole score of 228 to finish in a tie for 41st place. Junior Katie Kempter (Albuquerque, N.M.) rounded out DU’s scorer in a tie for 38th place with a 54-hole score of 227.

“I’m really proud of the way we played this entire tournament, all five of our players had a hand in our performance this week,” head coach Sammie Chergo said. “These players work really hard and are deserving of everything they’ve earned. We are continuing to gain momentum and we are really looking forward to playing our best tournament of the year at the NCAA Championships.”

DU will next play in the NCAA National Championships May 20-23 in Albuquerque, N.M.