DSC women’s golf wins 10th NJCAA championship title in record fashion

MESA, AR (May 18, 2018) – After four days of competition at the Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona, Daytona State College claimed their tenth title in 16 seasons at the NJCAA Women's Golf National Championships. Under the direction of head coach Laura Brown, the Falcons scored 1152 over four rounds to finish even par, besting their closest competition by 40 strokes. This score also set a new NJCAA national championship four round event record besting the prior low score of 1176 posted by Redlands Community College back in 2012.

"This is a tremendous win for Coach Brown and her team," said DSC President Thomas LoBasso. "Our women's golf program has become a dominant force in the NJCAA on and off the course. We're very proud to add another national championship to the program's credentials as well as another year of success in the classroom."

Sophomore Jiwon Jeon (South Korea) and Grace St-Germain (Ontario, Canada) led the Falcons, posting the team's lowest scores at 280 (-8) each to finish in a tie for first place overall at the end of regulation play. The scores posted by Jeon and St-Germain are a new NJCAA record for low score during this championship event. After completion of play and knowing the Falcons had captured the team title, Jeon and St-Germain had to go head to head in a sudden death playoff to determine the tournament medalist. Both competitors birdied the first two playoff holes and then on the third hole Jeon birdied and St-Germain carded a par to push Jeon to the tournament medalist honors.

St-Germain carded a 67 in the final round, and Jeon posted a 68 and had to make a birdie on the 18th hole to tie St-Germain at the end of regulation play. Sophomore Kendall Johnson (Plant City, Florida) carded a 77 and freshman Alison Crenshaw (Suwanee, Georgia) posted a final round 75 for the final round 287 team score.

All five Falcons finished the tournament by placing in the top ten and all earning NJCAA All-American honors. Jeon finished the competition in 1st place with her 280, while St-Germain finished in 2nd place with her 280 due to the playoff results. Freshman Hollie Muse (Liverpool, England) finished in 5th place at 297. Kendall Johnson finished in 6th place at 301, while Alison Crenshaw finished in 10th place at 307.

"This was an unbelievable performance on a very difficult course! This was a true team effort, as all five players contributed to this victory and I am very proud of all of them. This is the best team on record in the 20 year history of the program and to set these records during out 10th National Championship was very special, said Brown. "Jiwon and Grace had an incredible week and they battled hard until the end for the title. The 3 hole playoff was very exciting and it was great to see how both these players handled the situation. I am so happy for both of them!"

Since 2010, DSC has only finished outside the top two only once, while earning seven NJCAA championships. Much of the team's success can be attributed to the Falcons' head coach, Laura Brown, a former LPGA tour card holder and New Smyrna Beach native. Over her 20 seasons at Daytona State, Coach Brown has coached 77 All-Americans, seven NJCAA Individual National Champions, one Olympian, and one former standout that has earned her LPGA tour card (Tiffany Chan).

"Coach Brown is a great leader, as she's proven yet again this year by coaching such great performances from her team," said Will Dunne, Daytona State's athletics director. "All of our Lady Falcons put in a great effort and we are proud of their accomplishments. We're looking forward to our returning sophomores coming back this fall so we can continue the high level of competition this program is known for."

In addition to their successes on the course, the Falcon women's golf team also excels in the classroom. Over the last 10 years, Daytona 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 3.68 cumulative team GPA in the fall of 2017 and spring of 2018.

Daytona 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.

Daytona State currently boasts 161 student-athletes and 121 athletic scholarships in eight varsity sports including men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, women's 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, three top-notch playing fields and a field house.

For more information on Falcon athletics, visit DSCFalcons.com.

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