Quinnipiac Women's Golf Begins NCAA Regional Play in Baton Rouge
HAMDEN, Conn. – Quinnipiac University, the 2021 MAAC Women's Golf Champion, begins competition at the NCAA Regional on Monday, May 10 at the University Club in Baton Rouge, La. The tournament will run through Wednesday, May 12 with the top six teams advancing to the National Championships in Scottsdale, Ariz.
After a dominant victory at the MAAC Championships, head coach
John O'Connor's squad will compete in Louisiana as the 18-seed in the region. Quinnipiac, one of seven automatic qualifiers in the region, will be joined by LSU, Ole Miss, Baylor, Oregon, Maryland, Alabama, Oregon State, Houston, Miami (FL), North Texas, Purdue, Mississippi State, Tulsa, Sam Houston State, Kennesaw State, East Tennessee State, and Jacksonville State.
The Bobcats' five golfers will begin at 10:50 a.m. EST when Elena Lopez hits the 10th tee. The co-captain will be followed ten minutes later by Darby Lillibridge, who precedes Elena Ybarra. Sophomore standouts Leeyen Peralta and Kaylee Sakoda will round out the lineup for O'Connor in round one.
COURSE INFORMATION
The University Club
Baton Rouge, La. | Par 72 | 6,340 yards
IMPORTANT LINKS
Pairings/Tee Times
Team Leaderboard
Individual Leaderboard
BOBCATS AT THE MAAC'S
Quinnipiac broke multiple program records en route to the third MAAC Championship in program history. The Bobcats placed all five golfers inside the top 20 and claimed the team championship by 18 strokes over second place Albany. Sophomore
Leeyen Peralta led Quinnipiac's championship effort by shooting +4 on the week and earning a third place finish on the individual leaderboard.
Since joining the conference at the start of the 2013-14 season, the Bobcats have had a lot of success at the MAAC tournament. The program won the title in back-to-back seasons in 2016 and 2017 and claimed victory again in 2021. They have also finished second three times. In the last two MAAC tournaments prior to this year's win, Quinnipiac posted consecutive second place finishes.
LEEYEN'S ON TOP
In her first two appearances this season, Peralta finished in first place at two Hartford Invitationals. In the first invitational, she carded a score of 72. In the second one, she shaved a stroke off her score for a 71. Those scores earned her two MAAC Golfer of the Week honors.
SAKODA STARS
In six appearances this season, Kaylee Sakoda has recorded five top-five finishes, and has not finished outside the top-six in any event this season. She has carded three rounds of 72 or better, including breaking the course record at the H. Smith Richardson Golf Course in the Fairfield Tri-Match with a 68. She finished the regular season averaging a score of 73.86, almost three strokes better than her average score in her rookie campaign.
SPECIAL SENIOR SEASON
Senior Elena Ybarra has recorded a career-best season so far in 2021, culminating with a second-round 73 and eighth-place finish at the MAAC Championship. After possessing an average score of right around 80 in her first three seasons in Hamden, the Madrid, Spain native has an average score lower than 78 this season. That is almost a four stroke improvement over her 2019-20 average score.
THE 2020-21 REGULAR SEASON
The Bobcats picked up four victories this spring. The team won two Hartford Invitationals, finishing as the best team out of seven at both events. Quinnipiac defeated Fairfield in a head-to-head match, as well as finishing first of three teams (Fairfield and St. John's) in a tri-match. The Bobcats have also posted two second place finishes in Hartford Invitationals this season.
MAAC GOLFERS OF THE WEEK
Quinnipiac has earned three MAAC Golfer of the Week awards this season. Sophomore Leeyen Peralta received the honor in back-to-back weeks on March 25 and April 1. Sophomore Kaylee Sakoda earned the award on April 15.
MAAC PRESEASON POLL
Quinnipiac was voted No. 2 in the conference preseason poll. The Bobcats were narrowly edged out by defending champion Albany who received 75 total points and five first-place votes. Quinnipiac received 73 total points and two first-place votes.
THE 2021 CAPTAINS
Senior Elena Ybarra and junior Elena Lopez were named the program's captains for the season. "I'm happy to announce the captains for the 2021 season will be
Elena Ybarra and
Elena Lopez.
Elena Ybarra has been a major contributor to the golf program for the past three years and has developed into a leader that the team looks up to," Head Coach
John O'Connor said. "
Elena Lopez is an inspiration to the team by her drive and focus both on the course and in the classroom. Elena's attention to detail is shown through her improving by 3 strokes from her freshman to sophomore year."
FOLLOW US
For more information on Quinnipiac women's golf, follow the Bobcats on Twitter, @Quinnipiac_Golf, and on Instagram, @QU_Golf.