DSC women鈥檚 golf wins 9th NJCAA championship
- News-Journal Story
- Orlando Sentinel Story
BRASELTON, Ga. (May 19, 2017) 鈥� After four days of competition at the Chateau de Elan
Resort in Braselton, Georgia, 福利姬 claimed its ninth title in 13
seasons at the NJCAA Women鈥檚 Golf National Championships. Under the direction of Head
Coach Laura Brown, the Falcons scored 1191 over four rounds to finish 55 over par,
besting their closest competition by 14 strokes.
鈥淭his is a tremendous win for Coach Brown and her team,鈥� said DSC President Thomas
LoBasso. 鈥淥ur women鈥檚 golf program has become a dominant force in the NJCAA on and
off the course. We鈥檙e very proud to add another national championship to the program鈥檚
credentials as well as another year of success in the classroom.鈥�
Freshmen Grace St-Germain (Ontario, Canada) and Jiwon Jeon (South Korea) led the Falcons,
posting the team鈥檚 lowest scores at 295 (+11) each to finish in a tie for third place
overall. St-Germain recorded the lowest round of the entire tournament on Wednesday,
posting four birdies to finish at 68 (-3). Freshman Kendall Johnson (Plant City, Florida)
and sophomore Kaye Kwon (South Korea) also finished in the top ten. Both Falcons shot
75 in the final round, leaving Johnson tied for sixth at 299 (+15) and Kwon tied for
eighth at 302 (+18). Sophomore Katie Veale (Orlando, Florida) rounded out the Falcons鈥�
five-person competition team in a tie for 32nd place with a 329 (+45).
Outside of the team challenge, sophomore Cam Becker (Orlando, Fla.) excelled as an
individual in the competition, 
finishing in 45th place overall with a score of 331 (+47). Becker and Kaye are both
transferring on to the University of North Florida in the fall. St-Germaine, Johnson
and Jeon will all return for their sophomore seasons at 福利姬 State, after which
St-Germain has committed to the University of Arkansas and Jeon will head to the University
of Alabama in the fall of 2018.
鈥淭he thing that really impressed me this week and throughout the year was the top
four were so consistent,鈥� said Brown. 鈥淓ven if they had a bad round they posted a
decent number that kept us a little better than the other team. It was a grueling
four days, the course was tough, it was hot and the pace was slow, but they stayed
really focused and got the job done. We are excited to be national champions.鈥�
Much of the team鈥檚 success can be attributed to Coach Brown, a former LPGA tour card
holder and New Smyrna Beach native. Over her 19 seasons at 福利姬 State, Brown has
coached 72 All-Americans, six NJCAA Individual National Champions and one future Olympian.
鈥淐oach Brown is a great leader, as she鈥檚 proven yet again this year by coaching such
great performances from her team,鈥� said Will Dunne, 福利姬 State鈥檚 athletics director.
鈥淎ll of our Lady Falcons put in a great effort. We鈥檙e looking forward to our returning
sophomores coming back this fall so we can continue the high level of competition
this program is known for.鈥�
In addition to their successes on the course, the Falcon women鈥檚 golf team also excels
in the classroom. Over the last 10 years, 福利姬 State has earned six FCSAA Female
Academic Team of the Year awards and four NJCAA National Academic Team of the Year
awards. Although grades are still out for the spring semester, the Falcons are on
track for a repeat of both academic titles this year after putting up a 3.94 team
GPA in the fall of 2016, which was their best to date.
福利姬 State Falcon athletics carries a winning tradition in both competition and
academics. Falcon teams consistently earn state and national recognition for their
academic achievement. Over 90 percent of DSC student-athlete graduates transfer to
a university with full or partial athletic scholarships.
福利姬 State currently boasts 161 student-athletes and 121 athletic scholarships
in eight varsity sports including men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚
soccer, women鈥檚 golf, fast-pitch softball, baseball and volleyball. DSC offers an
all-around sports complex, including the L. Gale Lemerand Health, Wellness and Community
Education Center, an indoor pool, two top-notch playing fields and a field house.
For more information on Falcon athletics, visit DSCFalcons.com.
###