In just its fourth year of existence, the North Florida women’s golf team brought home its first Atlantic Sun Championship Tuesday at Reunion Golf Resort, after dominating the field with an 11-stroke win.

UNF’s three-round total of 890 was 11 strokes better than runner-up Florida Gulf Coast, who finished at 901. All five Osprey’s shot rounds of 77 or better on the final day, giving the team a final round score of 298. The Ospreys were the only team to shoot sub-300 round totals each day of the tournament.

UNF was led by Mary Dawson and Megan Wilshire, who finished tied for second place at 221. Emelie App trailed by one stroke at 222 and finished fourth.

Kennesaw State’s Clara Aveling grabbed the top individual score with a 218, two strokes better than Dawson and Wilshire. Despite Aveling’s strong performance, the Owls finished 14 strokes behind UNF with a three-round total of 904.

Since its creation in 2012, the women’s golf team has improved each year under the tutelage of head coach Joanne Berglund. In year one, the team placed seventh out of 10 teams in the A-Sun tournament. In year two they placed fourth and in year three they placed second. The hard work and dedication of the ladies culminated in the team’s first A-Sun Championship this year.

As A-Sun champs, the Ospreys qualify for the NCAA Regionals May 5-7. The team now awaits an announcement of the fields for the regional competition to learn where they will travel. The four possible locations are Birmingham, Ala., Baton Rouge, La., Bryan, Texas, and Stanford, Calif.

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