Women’s Golf Hosts SSC Championship
By Nia Perkovich
Staff Writer
The Lynn women’s golf team recently hosted the Sunshine State Conference Championship (SSC) for the first time since 2010.
The 2018 SSC Women’s Golf Championship was held at Osprey Point Golf Course in Boca, showcasing many high-quality squads. Over half of the teams competing were ranked amongst the top 10 in the country, leaving high expectations for most individuals throughout the sport.
“I am excited that we had so many great Division II teams come to Boca to compete all together,” said Karli Heimbecker, head coach. “Our girls were really looking forward to it and hungry to compete for their first win of the season.”
Going into the tournament, the team sat in fifth place in the conference and sixth in the region. Despite significant talent across the board, they still had yet to win an SSC title since 2014.
“Our conference tournament is one of the strongest tournaments of the year and we were super excited to be hosting [it],” said Krissy Ortiz, junior.
On the opening day of the tournament, the team overcame remarkably challenging weather conditions to score a 302, placing them third among the 11-team field. After holding their own on the second day of competition, the women rounded out the event with the second-best round of the tourney.
With strong performances from their star golfers, they certainly met expectations. Jenny Ayala, senior, and Ortiz both earned SSC All-Tournament honors, with the former shooting a 222 total, leaving her in fourth overall for the event.
With these individuals leading the charge, the women’s team shot a team round under 900 for just the third time in program history, making it all the more special.
“Having my last postseason start at home made this experience so unique,” said Ayala. “I have really enjoyed my time as a student-athlete for Lynn and having people come around to support has been really special.”
Now that the tournament has come to a close and Lynn has re-established program records, they await their fate for the NCAA Tournament. For more information on what is next for women’s golf, individuals can head to LynnFightingKnights.com for more details and information.
