EMU Women’s Golf Readies for 2024 MAC Championship

2024 MAC Women's Golf Championship
Date	Sunday-Tuesday, April 21-23
Venue	Grove City, Ohio \| Pinnacle Golf Club
Preview Info	Stephanie_Jennings Interview \| Anna_Watson Interview \| Natai_Apichonlat Interview
Live Stats	Live scoring
Watch on ESPN+	Sunday's Round. Monday's Round. Tuesday's Round.
X (formerly Twitter)	EMUWomensGolf \| @EMUAthletics
More Information	MAC Championship Page \| Directions to the Course

GROVE CITY, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University women's golf team will compete at the 2024 Mid-American Conference Championship Sunday through Tuesday, April 21-23, hosted by Ohio University at Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City, Ohio. The three-day event will consist of 54 holes on the par-72, 6,201-yard course for the 10 MAC schools that sponsor women's golf – Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, and Western Michigan.

The Eagles enter the tournament with the 12th-lowest four-player team scoring average in program history at 310.0. Eastern Michigan has two top-five finishes this season, including a fourth-place showing most recently at the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate, March 17-19.

Senior Anna Watson (Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) individually leads the team with an average of 75.82. Freshman Riley Kim (Aldie, Va./Lightridge) follows with a 77.67 season average, while senior Natai Apichonlati (Bangkok, Thailand/The Regent's International School) has put together a solid campaign of her own, scoring an average of 78.43 this year.

Playing just 90 miles from her hometown, Watson is tied for the seventh-lowest season-scoring average, in program history. Furthermore, she has a chance to finish second all-time in EMU career scoring. In 101 rounds, Watson boasts an average of 76.53, just 0.03 behind Thelma Beck's 76.50 (2014-18). The Ashland, Ohio, native would need to shoot an average of 75 strokes per round to move up EMU's all-time rankings.

Meanwhile, Kim is on pace for the lowest scoring average by an EMU freshman since Beck notched a 77.19 in 2014-15. That season, Beck took home MAC Freshman of the Year honors, as the Aldie, Va., product looks to become just the fifth Eagle to take home the league's rookie award. The others to do so include Heather Nolan (2003), Emily Podzielinski (2010), and Alyssa Kwon (2011).

Sixth-year Head Coach Stephanie Jennings and the Eagles look to spoil Kent State's run at history. The Golden Flashes have won 24 straight league championships, winning the 2023 tournament by 33 strokes after shooting an 875 (291-305-279).

The Golden Flashes are ranked No. 66 in the National Collegiate Golf Ranking System followed by Northern Illinois (140), Ball State (173), Toledo (186), Bowling Green (189), Western Michigan (197), Akron (205), Ohio (212), Eastern Michigan (224), and Central Michigan (229).

The MAC Championship will begin Sunday with tee times starting at 9:30 a.m. ESPN+ will provide daily coverage of the event beginning at 12:05 p.m. ET. Sam Hyman (play-by-play), Sarah Tranelli (analyst), Wes Minke (course reporter), and Kyleigh Osko (course reporter) will provide the commentary for the event.

Live scoring will be available via Golfstat. The four lowest scores of the team will count each day as a team total.

Competing for EMU will be Watson, Apichonlati, Kim, junior Alyssa DiMarcantonio (Maple, Ontario-Tommy Douglas Secondary School), and senior Sophia Wygonik (Westland, Mich./Livonia Franklin). Freshman Gabriella Tapp (South Lyon, Mich./South Lyon) will also travel as an alternate for the tournament.

Last year, Eastern Michigan notched a 314 during the final round to finish in 10th place with a cumulative score of 954 (312-328-314) at Kalamazoo Country Club. Watson posted her second consecutive 14th-place showing at the league championships, finishing with a 229 (73-81-75).

EMU has been the most likely candidate to challenge Kent State for the top spot at the event, as the Eagles' seven runner-up finishes at the MAC Championship since 2003 are the most of any team in the league. The Green and White have placed second in 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015.

Ohio (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005), Toledo (2006, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019), Ball State (2010, 2012), Northern Illinois (2017, 2021, 2022, 2023), and Western Michigan (2004) are the only other teams to record a second-place finish in the history of the tournament.

Sarah Johnson remains EMU's lone individual medalist, finishing at even-par 216 (72-73-71) for the 2011 tournament. The Wixom, Mich., native finished seven strokes ahead of the rest of the field. EMU golfers have also turned in a trio of third-place efforts by Catherine Fortin (2007), Stephany Fleet (2009), and Robyn Scott (2010).

The winner of the 2024 MAC Championship will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA regional round, May 6-8, at one of the six regional locations. The possible sites include the Auburn University Club (Auburn, Ala.), Bermuda Run Country Club (Bermuda Run, N.C.), The Traditions Club (Bryan, Texas), Spanish Trail Country Club (Las Vegas, Nev.), Forest Akers Golf Course (East Lansing, Mich.), and Tumble Creek Club (Cle Elum, Wash.).

The 2024 NCAA Division I women's golf championships begin with selections on Wednesday, May 24 in a selection show on Golf Channel at 2 p.m. ET. Regionals then take place May 6-8, followed by the championship finals from May 17-22 in Carlsbad, Calif.

In regional play, six 54-hole regional competitions will be played to determine the participants in the championship finals. In each regional, 12 teams and six individuals not on those teams will compete. The low five teams and the individual not on those teams will advance to the finals.

In the championship finals, all 30 teams and six individuals will complete 54 holes of stroke play. Following 54 holes of competition, the top 15 teams along with the top nine individuals will advance for one additional day of stroke play to determine the top eight teams for match-play competition and the 72-hole stroke-play individual champion. The top eight teams after 72 holes of play will be placed into a bracket with the No. 1 seed playing the No. 8 seed, the No. 2 seed playing the No. 7 seed, the No. 3 seed playing the No. 6 seed and the No. 4 seed playing the No. 5 seed in match play.

A total of five points will be available with one point being awarded for each match. Winning teams will advance to the semifinals and subsequently the finals. The first team to win three points within the team match will advance, or in the case of the final match be declared the national champion.

Mid-American Conference Women's Golf Championships - April 21-23, 2024
Where: Grove City, Ohio (Pinnacle Golf Club)
Format: 18 holes each day
Par/Yardage: 72/6,201
Field: Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Ohio (host), Toledo and Western Michigan
Lineup: Anna Watson, Natai Apichonlati, Riley Kim, Alyssa DiMarcantonio, Sophia Wygonik,; Alternate - Gabriella Tapp

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Players Mentioned

Natai Apichonlati

Alyssa DiMarcantonio

Riley Kim

Gabriella Tapp

Anna Watson

Sophia Wygonik

Eastern Michigan Athletics