After a season full of first-place finishes, not even the pouring rain and harsh winds of a nor’easter could prevent the Suffolk University women’s golf team from becoming the inaugural Conference of New England champions.
The five-woman squad of Krisna Mahendran, Brooke Bugajewski, Emory Goodson, Alexia Hill and Lauren Phelan can now call themselves what many athletes can only dream of being: champions.
“I couldn’t be any prouder,” said head coach Jay Parker. “We had some tough moments in the weather but we persevered and did what we had to do.”
With strong performances throughout the season, Parker lauded the competitiveness of this team. He noted how he knew this team had it in them to become champions.
“We had a great fall, we won four tournaments,” said Parker. “We had the standards set high.”
Mahendran led the way, finishing in a first-place tie with two other athletes from the University of New England.
The top-6 ranked performances of Mahendran, Bugajewski and Goodson, despite the sheer cold temperatures, pouring rain, and eventual darkness of nightfall, landed them all-CNE honors.
“We’re trying to mold these young women into individuals who go out into the workforce and become successful,” said Parker. “Overcoming some adversity like that is lifechanging.”
Battling the weather, the Rams went into day two of the championship with a five-stroke lead. That lead would be cut to as few as two strokes before the Rams pulled away.
The combined efforts of the five-woman team allowed the Rams to earn the win with a 16-stroke lead over second place Hartford University.
As CNE champions, the women’s golf team will head out to California in May, where they’ll compete in the Division III NCAA Tournament for just the second time in program history.
“We’ll enjoy every bit of it,” said coach Parker. “Going to the NCAA championships is a once in a lifetime experience and not many women can say they’ve done it.”
