Emily Gilbert shot a 77 (+6) first-round score to set a new conference championship record
DAY ONE: Results - Scorecards
Championship Central
HERSHEY, Pa. (Women’s Golf) – The first day of the 2017 Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Women’s Golf Championship was completed on Saturday in wet and chilly conditions at the Hershey Country Club. The weather did not affect Alvernia sophomore Emily Gilbert as she set a new conference championship record with a one-round score with a 77 (+6). The Eastern women lead by four strokes over Stevenson after day one.
Gilbert was with the first group to finish on day one of the championship, setting the bar for the rest of the field. The sophomore broke the conference championship record, which was set at the inaugural championship in 2011, by three strokes. Albright’s Kaitlin Mack shot an 80 (+8) to win the 2011 title at Mt. Laurel Golf Club in White Haven, Pa.
Since the women’s championship was moved to the Hershey Country Club East Course in 2015, Gilbert’s round of 77 is six strokes better than the previous best one-round score of 83 (+12) shot by Stevenson’s Morgan Wirtz in 2015. Gilbert shot a 40 (+4) on the front nine and a 37 (+2) on the back nine on Saturday.
Wirtz, who won the 2015 title as a freshman with her round of 83, finished the first day of the 2017 conference championship in second-place with a score of 85 (+15). Eastern’s Sofia Frantz is currently in third with a score of 87 (+16), Stevenson’s Julia Kline is fourth (88 | +17) and Manhattanville’s Kendyl Nethercott is fifth (89 | +18).
Rounding out the top-10 in respective order are: 6. Cayla McCarty, Alvernia (90 | +19); 7. Summer Frantz, Eastern (91 | +20); t8. Megan Kimmel, Lebanon Valley (92 | +21), Heather MacQuarrie, Albright (92 | +21); 10. Jaclyn D’Angelo, Eastern (93 | +22).
Eastern finished day one with a four-stroke lead (365-369) over Stevenson, who has won the previous two conference titles. Alvernia (381) is in third, Manhattanville (397) is in fourth and Lebanon Valley (417) is in fifth. Misericordia (437), Albright (444) and Arcadia (448) round out the final three with team scores.
The second and final round of the 2017 MAC Women’s Golf Championships is set to tee off at 8 a.m. on Sunday, April 23. The final pairings will be released on the championship central page Saturday evening.