Women’s golf team set to compete at the 2014 NCAA DIII National Championships

HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. – The Olivet College women's golf team is set to compete at the 2014 NCAA Division III National Championships. The four-day, 72-hole championships will take place Tuesday, May 13 through Friday, May 16 at the El Campeon Golf Course and inside the Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.

Olivet's lineup will be seniors Theresa Damico (White Lake/Lakeland), Adrienne Plourde (Livonia/Redford Thurston) and Ashley Stark (Grass Lake), and sophomores Brooke Kastamo (Howell/Hartland) and Casey Lamp (Kalamazoo/Hackett Catholic).

It is the Comets' second straight trip to the national championships. In addition, Olivet has advanced to the championships seven times in the last eight years. The Comets' best finish in their previous six trips was ninth in 2007, which was also held at the El Campeon Golf Course.

Olivet advanced to the championships by virtue of winning the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association's (MIAA) 54-hole qualifying tournament last month. The Comets posted a three-round total of 927 strokes to beat Saint Mary's (Ind.) College by 50 strokes. Olivet also won the 2013 MIAA Championship last fall, beating Saint Mary's by 75 strokes over six rounds.

The Comets are led by Damico and Plourde. Both are three-time first-team All-MIAA selections, with Damico earning MIAA Most Valuable Golfer honors in 2012 and Plourde earning the same honor in 2013. Over 22 rounds during the 2013-14 season, Plourde is averaging 78.1 strokes, and Damico has an 80.0 stroke average. Lamp is averaging 84.1 strokes, followed by Kastamo at 85.0 and Stark at 86.0.

Olivet is seeded No. 10 in the 21-team field. Stark will be the first to tee of tomorrow morning from Hole No. 10 at 8:35 a.m., with Lamp, Kastamo, Damico and Plourde following her in 10-minute intervals. For Wendesday's second round, the Comets will start teeing off from Hole No. 1 at 12:15 p.m. Olivet will be paired with golfers from University of St. Thomas (Minn.) and Carthage (Wis.) College.

You can follow all of the action from the championships via a live leaderboard at http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/indexh.cfm?tournament_id=5550.

PAST TRIPS TO THE NCAA DIII NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS AND FINISHES
2007 – 9th – El Campeon Golf Course (Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.)
2008 – 11th – Centennial Acres Golf Course (Waverly, Iowa)
2009 – Tied 11th – PGA Golf Club (Port St. Lucie, Fla.)
2010 – 11th – El Campeon Golf Course (Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.)
2011 – Tied 10th – El Campeon Golf Course (Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.)
2013 – 13th – Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort (Destin, Fla.)