Tigers Challenge Program Records En Route To Win At St. Mary's
Jane Hopkinson-Wood ties school record for single round scoring as Tigers top strong 10-team field.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The Wittenberg Tigers made it a perfect two for two to start the 2014 season after capturing a five-stroke victory at the St. Mary's O'Brien National Invitational.
Along the way, the Tigers put up individual and team scores that rank among the best in program history, and Wittenberg finished ahead of some of the top teams in the nation. The Tigers carded rounds of 307 and 327 for a two-day total of 634 to finish seven strokes ahead of George Fox and 10 strokes clear of Washington University, while easily outdistancing Rhodes and North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) rival DePauw.
Those four teams all finished in the top 10 nationally a year ago, and DePauw has won the last two NCAC titles to beat out Wittenberg for a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament each year. Rhodes is the defending national champion.
Individually, Wittenberg was led for a second straight week by freshman Jane Hopkinson-Wood (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School). She equaled the school record with a 73 in the first round, and she followed that with an 80 to finish second in the tournament, one stroke behind the leader. Hopkinson-Wood's two-round total of 153 ranks as the fifth-best ever at Wittenberg.
Junior Allie Lawwill (Springboro, Ohio/Middletown) was right behind, finishing fourth with a two-round total of 155. Senior Nicole Waers (Canton, Ohio/Perry) finished 10th with a 160, sophomore Macy Hubbard (Mason, Ohio/Mason) placed 21st with a 166, and senior Carolyn Wong (Naperville, Ill./Central) rounded out the starting line-up in 43rd place with a 174.
In addition, freshman Rachel Marks (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) finished 49th with a score of 176 and senior Rachel Steiner (Hamilton, Ohio/Lakota West) took 51st with a 181. Both players were entered the competition as individuals.
As a team, Wittenberg's opening round 307 ranks as the second-best performance in program history, one stroke off the top spot. The Tigers' total of 634 equals the third-best two-round score ever.