Women’s Golf Ready for First-Ever NCAA Tournament
Terriers head to San Antonio for one of four regionals
Having just clinched their first-ever Patriot League title, the women’s golf Terriers hope to make history again this weekend in their first-ever NCAA regional tournament. They beat second-place Lehigh by 10 strokes at the Patriot League Championship April 19 at the US Naval Academy Golf Club to capture their first conference title in eight years.
“We’ve had a great season thus far,” says head coach Bruce Chalas. “Every year we keep getting better and better. By far, this is our best season. We started the year winning up at Dartmouth, and we ended the year winning again at the Patriot League tournament, a goal we talked about the whole year. It feels like a lot of thing have gone right this season. Let’s hope it stays that way.”
The Terriers will compete in an NCAA Regional in San Antonio, Tex., (one of four regional sites) starting tomorrow. A total of 72 teams will vie for 24 spots in the NCAA Golf Championships, being held May 22 to 27 in Bradenton, Fla.
Leading the way for the Terriers is Adela Cejnarova (CAS’17). The Czech Republic native enters the regional with back-to-back tournament wins, scoring a tournament-record 222 at last month’s Patriot League championship. Boasting three top-five finishes and the second-lowest average on the team this season, the All-Patriot League First Teamer seems poised to take the regional by storm.
“I’ve done well the last couple of tournaments,” says Cejnarova, who is also the Patriot League Golfer of the Year. “Before that, I was struggling a bit, but I was able to change my attitude and change things. So I worked harder on my game, and then it all came along. I’ve played really well the last two tournaments, which was crucial. I just need to keep playing like this.”
Joining Cejnarova on the All-Patriot League First Team is Emily Tillo (Questrom’16). The two-time Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year has been on a hot streak, carding seven straight rounds in the 70s coming into the regional. Her impressive record includes a second-place finish, after teammate Cejnarova, at the Patriot League Championship. A two-time Patriot League Golfer of the Month, Tillo has been a consistent force all season, with a team-best average of 76.20.
The powerhouse duo provides the Terriers with more than a puncher’s chance of reaching the national championships.
“They’ve both been awesome,” says Chalas. “Emily has had so many low rounds this year, and Adela has played big when we needed it most. The two of them can really carry this team. We have a lot of players that can do some things, but Emily and Adela are just standouts.”
Confidence is key in a team. Veteran leadership may be the second most important. Captain Kristyna Pavlickova (MET’15) provides the Terriers with both. She won this year’s John B. Simpson Award, given annually to one male and one female athlete who best demonstrate enthusiasm and leadership. The award is named for the late John Simpson (SED’50,’54), a former BU director of athletics.
Pavlickova seems to pull out her best when it matters most. Her back nine score on the last day of the league tournament was the best of any nine holes of her career, according to her coach.
“Kristyna has put this program on the map,” Chalas says. “She’s helped everyone elevate their play in many different events. I really can’t say enough about her.”
Their milestone trip to the NCAA regional aside, the Terriers have had an uneven season, finishing in and out of the top five in tournaments. Boston’s brutal winter severely curtailed the team’s ability to practice, which was clearly a factor.
Chalas credits a short trip to North Carolina in March with turning things around. “We were able to take a quick weekend trip a few weeks ago to Pinehurst Resort, which I think really turned the corner for us. It was the first time we played in good weather, and we got a chance to work on our short game a lot. That was about a week and a half before we played Brown. I think that trip to Pinehurst really kick-started us.”
It’s taken the program eight long years to realize the goal of advancing to an NCAA tournament, and the players are more than ready.
“The season has been great,” says Cejnarova. “We’ve done well in the spring, and we won the Patriot League, which is awesome because we have never done that before. Playing as well as we have lately, I think the sky is the limit.”
The Boston University women’s golf team plays in the 2015 Division 1 NCAA Women’s Golf Regional Championship at the Briggs Ranch Golf Club, San Antonio, Tex., hosted by the University of Texas at San Antonio, Friday, May 7, through Sunday, May 9. If the Terriers qualify for one of the top 24 spots in the 54-hole regional set, they will head to the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships in Bradenton, Fla., from May 22 to 27.
Emmanuel Gomez can be reached at mannygo@bu.edu.
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