University of Louisville
NCAA Championship
Women’s Golf Finishes Historic Season at NCAA Championships
May 21, 2018 | Women's Golf
The Cardinals shot their best round of the tournament, with an 8-over-par 296 on Monday.
STILLWATER, Okla. – One of the most successful seasons in University of Louisville women's golf history closed on Monday, as the Cardinals finished 15th at the NCAA Championships in Stillwater, Okla.
Louisville shot an 8-over-par 296 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in the final round of stroke play, the team's best performance over the four-day span. The Cardinals, who claimed one of the 15 spots to compete in the fourth round, capped the tournament with a 47-over-par 1199.
One of three Atlantic Coast Conference teams to reach the final round of stroke play, Louisville's par-5 scoring through the 72 holes at 4.89 ranked seventh. The Cardinals tied for the most eagles in the field, with three, and accounted for the seventh most pars at 217.
Kristin Engle registered the best individual performance, shooting a 1-under-par 71. The freshman had five birdies of her nine birdies on the final day. She tied for 44th in her first 72-hole event, carding a 9-over-par 297.
Lauren Hartlage and Molly Skapik each shot a 2-over-par 74, contributing to the team score all four days. Skapik was even par over her final 10 holes of the afternoon, while Hartlage used four birdies. The duo tied for 38th, each totaling an 8-over-par 296. Skapik logged two eagles in the event, tied for the most by an individual in the 132-player field.
Olivia Cason rallied for the team's fourth-best score of the day, bouncing back from her third-round total with a 5-over-par 77. The junior, who played in her second career NCAA Championships, was 1-under-par over her final 10 holes. Cason placed 74th.
Delaney Shah, who tied for 71st, produced a 6-over-par 78 on the final day.
It was a historical year, both individually and collectively, for the Cardinals.
In addition to becoming the second team to advance to the NCAA Championships since the program's inception in 1999-00, Louisville earned its best finish at an NCAA Regional Championship, when it took fourth at the event in San Francisco in early May.
This year's team broke the four-player team scoring record by more than a stroke, boasting a 293.61 average. That mark led Louisville to capture three team titles, tied for the most regular-season crowns in program history. Last week, women's golf earned the APR Public Recognition Award for the eighth-consecutive season.
Individually, it closes Skapik's four-year career. The Miamisburg, Ohio, native played in 42 tournaments for 118 rounds of competition. She finishes with a 75.17 stroke average, ninth best in school history, and her 30 career rounds even or below par is tied for sixth in the school record book.
More impressively, Skapik helped lead UofL to four-consecutive NCAA Regional Championships and earned her bachelor's degree in early May in accounting.
Hartlage, who earned all-ACC honors for the second-consecutive season, broke school records in stroke average (72.24) and rounds even or below par (20). The Elizabethtown, Ky., native tied for the most rounds in the 60s, with seven, and tied for the second-most top-10 finishes, with seven.
For the latest information on Louisville women's golf, log on to GoCards.com, or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/UofLWGolf or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UofLWGolf.
2018 NCAA Women's Golf Championships
May 18-21, 2018
Karsten Creek Golf Club (par 72/6,328 yards)
Stillwater, Okla.
TOP-FIVE TEAM SCORES PLUS LOUISVILLE (24 teams, 72-hole totals): t-1. UCLA – 294-279-297-291; t-1. Alabama – 292-286-284-299; 3. Southern California – 291-298-296-283; 4. Northwestern – 299-293-290-291; 5. Stanford – 308-291-291-290; 15. Louisville – 301-300-302-296
LOUISVILLE GOLFERS (of 132): t-38. Lauren Hartlage – 73-75-74-74; t-38. Molly Skapik – 76-71-75-74; t-44. Kristin Engle – 76-77-73-71; t-71. Delaney Shah – 76-77-80-78; 74. Olivia Cason – 76-77-83-77
Players Mentioned
