Audrey Clarke '18 capped off the fall tournament schedule with a pair of top-three finishes at the Elmira College Invitational and the 2016 Empire 8 Conference Women's Golf Championships.
At EC's home invitational on September 27th, the third-year standout from Churchville, New York, produced a runner-up finish after carding an 86 (+15). That score left Clarke just one stroke off the pace of individual medalist, Holly Reynolds of Keuka College. Additionally, the Soaring Eagles picked up their second consecutive victory in the EC Fall Invitational, as the Elmira women finished with a 43-stroke lead over second-place Keuka.
Clarke concluded her strong fall season with her second consecutive third-place outing at the E8 Championships, which were held at the Country Club of Ithaca over the weekend. After a rocky start in Saturday's opening round, she recovered on the back nine with birdies on the par-four 14th and 17th holes. As a result, Clarke ended day one in a two-way tie for first place with eventual medalist Kimberly Wong of Ithaca College. In the second round on Sunday, EC's top golfer carded matching 42s on both nines, giving her a two-day total of 166 (+22). She finished four strokes behind Wong and just one stroke behind Ithaca's runner-up, Indiana Jones.
As a result of her third-place finish at the conference tournament, Clarke was once again named to the Empire 8 All-Conference First Team. Now a three-time recipient of an All-Conference nod from the E8, she became the first Elmira women's golfer to accomplish that feat since the league began sponsoring the sport in 2010.
The Soaring Eagles will return to the links for their spring tournament schedule following the winter recess. Stay tuned for further details on the spring golf schedule, which will be released when finalized.
