LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. – Facing stiff competition, the FGCU women's golf team split a pair of matches during the final day of play to claim third place at the Mid-American Match Play Challenge.
 
The Eagles fell to top-seeded Lamar, who finished with the tournament crown, during their morning round by a count of 3-1-1 before dominating 7th-seeded Oakland 4-1-0 in the afternoon.
 
In the No. 3 position, sophomore Madeline Marck-Sherk had a big day, picking up two wins, including a five-point victory over Lamar's Olivia Le Roux. Kelsy Holbert finished all square in her first match and won her second by a seven-point margin, while both Kate Williamson and Ailsa Clark split the day. Senior Megan Blonien struggled in the No. 1 spot, dropping both matches.
 
"This morning's match against Lamar was a tough one against a very solid opponent," said head coach Sarah Trew. "They don't make many mistakes, and we didn't take advantage of some opportunities. We had a chance, but just had too many three-putts, which cost us the match. I'm proud of Madeline for her big win over a tough opponent."
 
"That loss stung, but I'm proud of the way we rebounded in the afternoon. We had big wins from Kelsy and Kate. Madeline and Ailsa put up big victories for us too. This group made some major strides this week, and I could not be more proud of them."
 
Marck-Sherk (Ridgeway, Ontario/Ridgeway Crystal Beach HS) jumped to a three-points lead over Le Roux with two birdies on the front nine. She shot par to win two of the next five holes resulting in an impressive 5&4 victory. Marck-Sherk rolled through her second match in a similar fashion, shooting par on 13 holes and a birdie on hole 7 en route to another 5&4 win.
 
Holding FGCU's No. 2 spot, rising freshman Williamson (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Archbishop McCarthy HS) remained all square with Lamar's Wenny Chang through the first six holes of her morning match. Chang separated from Williamson to finish with a 3&2 Lamar victory after winning holes 10, 12 and 13 on the back nine. Williamson rebounded in her second match with wins on the first three holes. She finished with a 6&5 victory over Oakland's Zaafina Naqvi.
 
In the No. 4 position, Holbert (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner HS) gave one of her best performances of the year finishing with a field-best 13 birdies. Six holes through her first match, she began to slide thanks to a bogey on hole 5 and a pair of birdies from her competitor. Holbert rallied back on the back nine, culminating in a one-point lead on hole 17, before a birdie from Lamar's Sauceda ended the match all square. The sophomore dominated in her afternoon match, recording four birdies on her front nine on her way to a 7&5 win.
 
Clark (Navarre, Fla./Navarre HS) came out strong in her morning match, with birdies on three of her first six holes, which gave her a four-point advantage over Lamar's Kura Poko. Unfortunately the freshman struggled through the back nine and finished one shot behind Poko, who birdied on the final hole for the win. After trailing through the first seven holes of her afternoon match against Oakland's Maddie Zack, Clark finished with a 4&2 win the help of seven bogeys from her competitor.
 
FGCU's No. 1, Blonien (Altus, Okla./Altus HS) struggled throughout her second day of match play. After remaining all square through the first four holes of her morning match, she fell to a five-point deficit and was unable to recover against Lamar's No. 1, Elodie Chaplet. In her afternoon match she never allowed Oakland's Morgan Smith to gain more than a one-point lead, but ultimately couldn't gain the advantage and fell 1UP.
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles continue their spring slate with the 2017 Spring Break Shootout, which begins on Monday, March 3.
 
SEMIFINALS: 3-1-1 LOSS TO 1st-SEEDED LAMAR
1. Elodie Chaplet def. Megan Blonien 5&4
2. Wenny Chang def. Kate Williamson 3&2
3. Madeline Marck-Sherk def. Olivia Le Roux 5&4
4. Felicia Sauceda vs. Kelsy Holbert AS
5. Kura Poko def. Ailsa Clark 1UP
 
FINAL ROUND: 4-1-0 WIN AGAINST 7th-SEEDED OAKLAND
1. Morgan Smith def. Megan Blonien 1UP
2. Kate Williamson def. Fiona Schmidt 6&5
3. Madeline Marck-Sherk def. Kylee Sullivan 5&4
4. Kelsy Holbert def. Zaafina Naqvi 7&6
5. Ailsa Clark def. Maddie Zack 4&2
 
TOP SIX FINISHERS
1. Lamar
2. Akron
3. FGCU
4. Oakland
5. WMU
6. NIU
 
COACH TREW
Head coach Sarah Trew recently is currently in her 6th season at the helm of the FGCU women's golf team after being named ASUN Coach of the Year in 2016. Trew took over in 2011 and has since guided the Eagles to the program's best-ever finish in the ASUN Tournament and to 20+ top-10 finishes. A year ago, Trew led the team to several records on and off the course. The 2013-14 squad set a new single-season scoring record with a team average of 307.88, while also setting a new benchmark academically. The spring of 2015 saw the Eagles again take third place at the ASUN Championship, and recording their best team score of the season while 2016 again set a new standard. The 2015-16 squad recorded a new program best with a 305.29 average and took a second-place finish at the conference tournament. In that event, the Eagles carded a team score of 290 to set the program's new record and earned the top finish in program history.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU women's golf program, follow on Twitter at @FGCU_WGolf and on Facebook at /FGCUWGolf.