UVa Women's Golfers Top Stellar Field to Win Bryan National Collegiate
Story Links
March 31, 2013
Browns Summit, N.C. – Behind the hot finish of junior Elizabeth Brightwell, the No. 15 Virginia women’s golf team won the Bryan National Collegiate in Browns Summit, N.C. The victory was UVa’s first tournament title since September of 2010 and is the fifth in the program’s history.
The tournament featured one of the toughest fields of any regular-season event as 14 of the 17 teams were ranked in the Golfstat top-50 poll including four squads that were ranked in the top 10.
Virginia shot 7-over 295 during Sunday’s final round, its highest 18-hole score of the three-day, 54-hole event, to finish at 5-over 869. Arkansas, ranked No. 6, was second at 873. The Cavaliers opened the event by posting a school record score of 7-under 281 during the first round.
The Lady Razorbacks shot 2-over 290 during the final round and had trimmed UVa’s lead to just two shots when Brightwell got hot down the stretch. She posted birdies on three of her final four holes to help secure the win for the Cavaliers.
“Elizabeth came through with some clutch scores at the end of her round, Brittany (Altomare) was steady over all three days, Briana (Mao) had a great par save on her 17th hole and Portland (Rosen) really grinded it out over her last five holes,” said Virginia coach Kim Lewellen. “They all knew what we had to do to win and they all performed well under the pressure. It was fun to see them do that with a title on the line.”
Brightwell’s finish helped her to a fourth-place finish at even par 216. The tournament was the best in her college career. She recorded her top finish, best 54-hole score and lowest single-round total, a 4-under 68 she carded during the opening round.
Virginia All-American Brittany Altomare posted the team’s best score, finishing second at 4-under 212. She shot 72 Sunday, but could not hold the overall lead as Georgia’s Emilie Burger used a 3-under 69 during the final round to claim medalist honors at 5-under 211.
Altomare recorded the 18th top-10 finish during her career, tying her with Leah Wigger for the most in UVa’s history. It was the fourth time this season Altomare has posted a top-three finish.
UVa sophomore Briana Mao recorded her third top-10 finish this spring with a seventh-place finish at 3-over 219. Mao shot 73 during the final round. Portland Rosen was 23rd overall at 222 and Nicole Agnello was 62nd at 232.
The Bryan National Collegiate was UVa’s final regular-season tournament. The Cavaliers will participate in the ACC Championships in Greensboro April 19-21.
Bryan National Collegiate
Browns Summit, N.C.
Bryan Park Champions Course
Par 72, 6,386 yards
Final Results
Team Results
1. Virginia 281-293-295-869 2. Arkansas 294-289-290-873 3. Wake Forest 297-299-289-885 4. Vanderbilt 286-300-300-886 5. Florida 304-292-291-887 6. Georgia 300-295-293-888 7. NC State 300-297-295-892 8. South Carolina 296-301-296-893 9. Duke 297-307-290-894 9. Auburn 298-297-299-89411. North Carolina 294-303-300-89712. Michigan State 298-302-302-90213. Tennessee 306-304-294-90414. Florida State 307-302-299-90815. UNC Wilmington 311-310-305-92716. UNC Greensboro 316-306-307-92817. Louisville 304-305-321-930
Individual Results1. Emilie Burger, Georgia 72-70-69-2112. Brittany Altomare, Virginia 70-70-72-2123. Sarah Schmelzel, Sourth Carolina 71-73-71-2153. Elizabeth Brightwell, Virginia 68-75-73-2164. Brittany Marchand, NC State 76-70-70-216
Virginia Results 2. Brittany Altomare 70-70-72-212 4. Elizabeth Brightwell 68-75-73-216 7. Briana Mao 70-76-73-21923. Portland Rosen 73-72-77-22262. Nicole Agnello 77-77-78-232