Women’s golf team captures 2013 MIAA Championship, Plourde earns MIAA Most Valuable Golfer honors

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – The Olivet College women's golf team has won the 2013 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) championship in dominating fashion, beating second-place Saint Mary's (Ind.) College by 75 strokes. In addition, senior Adrienne Plourde (Livonia/Redford Thurston) has been selected as the MIAA's Most Valuable Golfer, and senior Theresa Damico (White Lake/Lakeland) joins her in earning first-team All-MIAA honors. Sophomores Brooke Kastamo (Howell/Hartland) and Casey Lamp (Kalamazoo/Hackett Catholic) have earned second-team All-MIAA honors.

The Comets posted a 642 team score, including a 316 in today's final round, in the final two-day season-ending tournament at the Bedford Valley Country Club in Battle Creek. The total was 23 strokes better than runner-up Saint Mary's and 34 better than third-place Trine (Ind.) University. Calvin College was fourth at 679, followed by Alma College, 722; Hope College, 726; Adrian College, 728; Albion College, 740; and Kalamazoo College, 780.

Plourde shared tournament medalist honors with Carlia Canto from Calvin, as both golfers had a two-round total of 152 strokes. Lamp placed third in the player standings with back-to-back 79s for a two-round total of 158. Damico was one stroke behind at 159, with a 77 in today's round. Senior Ashley Stark (Grass Lake) finished with a 173 (90-83), and Kastamo carded a 174 (91-83).

Sophomore Kirstin Langer (Battle Creek/Pennfield) and freshmen Allyson Schultz (Traverse City/Central) and Laura Bacso (Trenton) all played as individual scorers. Langer shot a 175 (91-84), followed by Schultz at 176 (86-90) and Bacso at 180 (88-92).

Olivet has now won three straight MIAA championships and six in the last eight years. Damico and Plourde are now both three-time first-team All-MIAA picks, with overall Damico being a four-time All-MIAA selection. Kastamo and Lang earned second-team All-MIAA honors for a second straight year. Plourde is the fourth Comet in school history, including third straight, to be the league's Most Valuable Golfer. The others were Damico in 2012, Lauren Campbell in 2011 and Kristy Latimer in 2006.

Over the six league rounds, Plourde averaged 77.2 strokes to tie the league record for lowest cumulative score for an individual scorer. Damico was third in the individual player standings with a 79.5 stroke average. Lamp averaged 82.5 strokes, while Kastamo had an 83.7 average.

In the final team standings, the Comets totaled 1,936 strokes for a league-record 322.7 average. Saint Mary's finished with 2,011 strokes, followed by Calvin at 2,064 and Trine at 2,091. The 75 stroke margin of victory is the largest in MIAA history. The previous record was 70 by Saint Mary's in 2004.

The Comets will now the host the final two rounds of a three-round MIAA playoff next spring to determine the league's automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA DIII National Championships.