By: Briley Lawson
Williamsburg, KY- After taking second-place in the Mid-South Conference Tournament, the #16 Patriots women's golf team was awarded a spot in the 2024 NAIA Women's Golf National Championship, the national office announced on May 3rd. It is the second time since the 2020-2021 season that Cumberlands has earned the right to compete in the tournament. This will mark UC Women's Golf tenth NAIA National Championships appearance.
The Patriots will battle in the tournament's first two rounds on May 14 and 15, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. At the end of 36-holes, there will be a cut. The event's final two rounds will take place on May 16 and 17. In total, 30 teams and 156-players will make the trip to Silvis, Illinois. The top four scores from each team will count towards an overall team score.
The Cumberlands Patriots had a memorable season, competing in ten tournaments throughout the season. The Pats played against high level competition at every tournament and never finished higher than fourth place. The Patriots were seen placing first at the MSC Fall Invitational, along with second place finishes at the Blue Raider Invitational, Battle for the Bay, and the MSC Spring Championship.
Cumberlands Women's Golf made history this past season, receiving a pair of MSC top honors and placing three on the MSC First Team All-Conference and two on the MSC Second Team All-Conference. Freshman Atchariya Thanaudomkul took home MSC Player and Freshman of the Year honors, becoming the first golfer in program history and the first under Head Coach Aaron Watkins. Thanaudomkul was also placed on the MSC First Team alongside seniors Sharon Holczer and Maria Neira. Freshman Ainslee Cruce and McKenzie Trautman were named to the MSC Second Team.
In their most recent outing, the Mid-South Conference Spring Championship, UC garnered a second-place finish after fighting their way within five strokes of first-place finisher #14 Lindsey Wilson while besting third-place finisher #24 Cumberland University (TN) by 45 strokes. Cumberlands competed in a strong field of seven teams that rank within the NAIA Top-25 with a total of 34 individual golfers.
Due to their outstanding individual performances, freshmen Thanaudomkul and Cruce along with senior Holczer were named to the MSC All-Tournament Team. Thanaudomkul finished in a tie for second place after shooting a 75 (+3) for a total score of 220 (+4) while carding 11 birdies throughout the tournament. Cruce followed suit, finishing in fourth place after shooting a 74 (+2) for a total score of 225 (+9) while carding seven birdies. Rounding out the top-five finishes, Holczer finished in a tie for fifth place after shooting a 74 (+2) for a total score of 228 (+12) while carding two birdies.
Cumberlands is one of two teams representing the Mid-South conference at the NAIA Women's Golf Championship. Alongside #16 UC, #13 Lindsey Wilson received an automatic bid after clinching the MSC Spring Championship.
The Patriots are set to tee off at 12:00 p.m. (CST) alongside Mount Mercy and Kansas Wesleyan. Other tee times and pairings for the first two rounds can be found here.
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