Bethune Cookman women's golf captures Rutgers Invitational Tournament title

by BCU Sports Information

Wildcats beat Ivy League power Yale by nine strokes in victory

Piscataway, N.J. - Freshman Kimberly Wong posted her third consecutive Top 5 finish of the fall season over the weekend while leading Bethune-Cookman University women's golf team to a much-heralded first place trophy at the Rutgers Women's Invitational in Piscataway, N.J.

Bethune-Cookman is looking like one of the best teams on the east coast right now as they played their way to their second first place title of the season, while finishing second in the only other tournament thus far. The Wildcats shot a two-day score of 624 (+48) to finish nine strokes ahead of the field of 18 teams.

Kim Wong, only a freshman mind you, continues to blaze her way towards all kinds of B-CU freshman records as she collected a two-day score of 154 (80 / 74) for her season low in a 36-hole event to finish third overall for the weekend. She has now finished amongst the top five golfers overall in every tournament she has suited up for the Wildcats this season. All-America honors certainly appear to be in the future of this young golfer.

Photo: BCU's Fern Grimshaw collected her first Top 10 finish of the fall.

Yale University--a perennial power amongst the Ivy League, rode the strength of its top golfer Ellie Brophy to finish second place as a team. The Bulldogs shot a team total of 633 (+57).

Meanwhile, junior golfer Becky Dowell still remains as one of the most steadfast golfers in the past four seasons at B-CU as she finished tied for fourth overall. Dowell's 154 (+10) allowed her to finish alongside Siena's Katelynn Mannix.

For Dowell, this was her first top five finish of the campaign, while registering her second top 10 mark for the fall.

Transfer Emma Tayler was just behind her fellow Wildcat golfers with a 158 (+14) for a sixth place finish, and her third top 10 finish of the season. Tayler is now second on the team in total wins-losses with a 190-13 record.

Also shooting well for the `Cats was sophomore Maria Garrido with her first-ever top 10 finish at Bethune-Cookman with a two-round mark of 160 (+16) to tie for ninth place. Alongside Garrido was junior Fern Grimshaw, just another in a long line of great European student-athletes to cross the path of B-CU head coach Dr. Gary Freeman, with a 160 (+16) as well.

For Grimshaw, it was her first top 10 finish of the fall season, as well as her second top 20 finish.
Sophomore Maria Urquiola posted a 164 (+20) to tie for 24th place in the tournament.

B-CU is now, as a team, 35-1 this season ... making this the best start for the Wildcats in recorded history.

Brittany Lambertson earned a medal in second place for St. John's as she scored a 151 (+7) on rounds of 77 and 74 for the Red Storm. St. John's finished third as a team.

Siena (645) would be fourth, while Bucknell, Rutgers and USC Upstate all posted a 666 to finish tied for fifth overall.