Results

CLIFTON SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Elmira College standout Audrey Clarke '18 opened her senior campaign by earning co-medalist honors at the annual William Smith Invitational, hosted by the Herons at the Clifton Springs Country over the weekend.

Clarke was second on the leaderboard after carding a first-round 80 (+8) on Saturday and moved into a two-way tie for first place with SUNY Cortland's Danielle Bambola with a 10-over-par 82 in the final round on Sunday. The duo combined to register a 36-hole total of 162 (+18), a mere one stroke better than third-place Indiana Jones of Ithaca College (163, +19). Clarke needed two less strokes to finish the front nine on Sunday, thanks in part to her birdie on the par-4 third, a hole that she had bogeyed during Saturday's round.

With the first-place finish, Clarke moved into a two-way tie for first-place all-time in program history for the most career tournament wins with six, equaling the mark held by Briana MacDonald '14. The Churchville, New York, native has also won each of the last two tournaments she had participated in, this after ending the 2016-17 season with medalist honors at the EC Spring Invitational in April.

Meghan Fonfara '18 was Elmira's next-best finisher, as she concluded the season-opening tournament in a five-way tie for 21st. Although she added 10 strokes to her scorecard after posting a commendable 87 (+15) on the first 18 holes, the Elma, New York, native continued to excel on the par-5 10th, as she birdied that hole on both days.

Alyssa Ogden '18 and Sarah Hiltbrand '19 both witnessed significant improvement between Saturday and Sunday's rounds. Ogden shaved 16 strokes off of her score and turned in a 95 (+23) on day two. Her biggest improvement came on the back nine, where she reduced her score by 10 and was even on the par-3 13th and 16th. Hiltbrand was 15 strokes better on Sunday with a 114 (+42). She was much better on the back nine as well, as her score on the final nine holes was 12 strokes fewer her second time on the course.

Odgen moved up seven places on the leaderboard to take 45th and Hiltbrand climbed two places to garner 56th.

Cassie Chun '18 was consistent in both rounds, following up her first-round 112 (+40) with a 113 (+41) on Sunday. She maintained her position in 53rd place on Sunday.

On the team leaderboard, the Ithaca Bombers leapfrogged the Red Dragons of SUNY Cortland for first place. Ithaca's second-round cumulative score of 328 was the best of any team as the tournament and moved the Bombers 10 strokes ahead of the Red Dragons.

Elmira (777, +201) slipped one place from seventh to eighth, although the team's score was three strokes better. The Rams of Suffolk University swapped places with EC, moving into seventh with a cumulative score of 769 (+193).

In Their Own Words...
Head Coach Tim Crowley on the team's performance in the first tournament of the season...
"I thought in our first weekend of competition there were a lot of positives and certainly some things that we can work on, especially our short game."

Coach Crowley on Audrey Clarke's co-medalist finish...
"Audrey had a great weekend and was able to put herself in position to finish as co-medalist after her Saturday round. The work she put in this summer shows, and to be a medalist in such a strong field shows what she's capable of."

Elmira Women's Results
T-1 – Audrey Clarke – 162 (+18)
T-21 – Meghan Fonfara – 184 (+40)
45 – Alyssa Ogden – 206 (+62)
53 – Cassie Chun – 225 (+81)
56 – Sarah Hiltbrand – 243 (+99)

Team Results
1. Ithaca – 668 (+92)
2. SUNY Cortland – 678 (+102)
3. Hamilton – 722 (+146)
4. St. Lawrence – 730 (+154)
5. Union – 740 (+164)
6. William Smith – 757 (+181)
7. Suffolk – 769 (+193)
8. Elmira – 777 (+201)
9. St. John Fisher – 802 (+226)
10. Keuka – 859 (+283)
11. Nazareth – 901 (+325)

News and Notes

• Elmira opened the 2017-18 season with an eighth-place finish out of an 11-team field at the William Smith Invite.
• Clarke earned co-medalist honors after tying with SUNY Cortland's Danielle Bambola with a two-day score of 162 (+18).
• Clarke's tournament win moved her into a tie with former EC great Briana MacDonald '14 for first-place all-time in program history with six victories.
• With a cumulative score of 777, the Soaring Eagles were able to shave 12 strokes off of their team score from last season's William Smith Invitational.
• In her second all-time tournament at the Clifton Springs Country Club, Clarke was able to shave 14 strokes off of her score, after carding a 176 (+32) at last season's William Smith Invite.
• Chun's rounds over the weekend are the second- and third-best of her collegiate career.

Up Next
The EC women will continue the 2017-18 campaign next weekend at the Utica College Invitational, hosted by the Pioneers at the Yahnundasis Golf Club in New Hartford, New York. The first round is scheduled for Saturday, September 23, and the 36-hole tournament will conclude on Sunday, September 24.