Women’s golf team wins MIAA championship and Damico is Most Valuable Golfer

Four golfers achieve All-MIAA honors

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – The Olivet College women's golf team won the 2012 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) championship in dominating fashion, capturing the title by 51 strokes over runner-up Saint Mary's (Ind.) College. Junior Theresa Damico (White Lake/Lakeland) was named the MIAA's Most Valuable Golfer, and junior Adrienne Plourde (Redford/Thurston) joined her in earning first-team All-MIAA honors. In addition, freshmen Brooke Kastamo (Howell/Hartland) and Casey Lamp (Kalamazoo/Hackett Catholic) earned second-team All-MIAA honors.

The Comets shot a 659 team score in the final two-day season-ending tournament at the Bedford Valley Country Club in Battle Creek. The total was 21 strokes better than runner-up Saint Mary's. The rest of the team scores were Calvin in third at 695, followed by Hope 696, Adrian 729, Trine (Ind.) 742, Alma 761, Albion 809 and Kalamazoo 840.

Damico earned medalist honors for the fourth time this with a two-round total of 160 strokes. Plourde tied for third-place with a 163, and junior Ashley Stark (Grass Lake) was sixth with a 167. Playing as individual scorer, freshman Kirstin Langer (Battle Creek/Pennfield) carded a 169 to tie for seventh-place. With their finishes, all four were named to the all-tournament team. Kastamo posted a 172 two-day score, and Lamp was two strokes behind with a 174.

Olivet has now won back-to-back MIAA championships, and five of the last seven MIAA titles. Plourde is now a two-time first-team All-MIAA selection, while Damico is a three-time All-MIAA selection, including two straight All-MIAA picks. Damico is the third Comet to be the league's Most Valuable Golfer. The others were Lauren Campbell in 2011 and Kristy Latimer in 2006.

Over the six MIAA rounds, Damico averaged 78.2 strokes to earn MVP honors. Plourde was second in the individual standings with an 80.8 average. Lamp averaged 87.5 strokes, but to determine All-MIAA honors, a golfer is allowed to drop her high round. Kastamo had an 87.2 average. Stark missed earning All-MIAA honors by one stroke.

In the final league standings, Olivet totaled 1,987 strokes over six rounds, a 331.2 average. Saint Mary's was a distant second at 2,038, followed by Hope 2,052; Calvin 2,058; Adrian 2,246; Trine 2,248; Albion 2,387; and Kalamazoo 2,547. The 51-stroke difference is the most a school has won a women's golf title by since 2008 when the Comets also beat the Belles by 57 strokes.

With the championship, Olivet will now host two of three MIAA rounds next spring to determine the league's automatic qualifier to the 2013 NCAA Division III National Championships. The first round of the AQ tournament will be played at Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend, Ind.