Junior Brent Paladino entered this weekend’s CAA Championships fresh off being named the Tribe’s first All-Conference golfer in three years. He lived up to his billing during the tournament’s final two rounds, carding a six-under 65 Saturday and a two-under 69 Sunday to finish in second place overall and lead the College to a fourth-place finish at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg.
In the women’s CAA Championship, senior Erika Oldencamp used a career-best one-under 71 in the final round to propel the Tribe to a third-place finish, as well as a school-record single-round and 54-hole total. Braving on-and-off rainstorms and strong wind, every member of the women’s team broke the 80-stroke mark during Sunday’s final round.
Paladino’s second-round 65 tied for the day’s best round and was one stroke off the Tribe record, set by Walt Lawrence in 1957. Paladino’s three-round total of 207 tied his school record for low 54-hole score.
Not to be upstaged, Oldencamp’s 71 cemented a place in Tribe lore as well, securing her a season stroke average of 78.20, the best mark posted by a senior female player in the College’s history. Oldencamp’s final season surpassed the mark of 78.43 set by two-time All-American Mary Wilkinson ’82 and goes down as the third-best season in terms of scoring average in the Tribe’s record books.
On the men’s side, Paladino’s weekend helped propel the College from seventh-place at the end of round one to its fourth-place finish. Georgia State University captured the CAA Championship.
Junior Doug Hurson’s three-under 69 Sunday moved him up 14 places into a tie for 13th, while sophomore Conor O’Brien followed an opening-round one-under 70 with rounds of 75 and 81, respectively, to close out the tournament in a tie for 27th.
Freshman Brandon Parker improved every round, firing an even-par 71 Sunday to catapult 12 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 36th. Senior Jimmy Femino ended his career with a seven-over 78 to finish tied for 50th.
The Tribe women made a charge, shooting a final-round total of 299, only the second time the Tribe has broken the 300-stroke barrier, an overall score of 914, and the best 54-hole mark in school history. But in the end the Tribe could not overtake champion University of North Carolina—Wilmington.
Oldencamp finished in a tie for ninth place, while sophomore Morgan Stepanek shot a final-round three-over 75 to move into a tie for 10th. Stepanek’s three-round total was equaled by freshman Sarah Whitney.
Freshman Katie Murphy finished in a tie for 18th, while senior Marissa Sprick closed out her career at the College with a 13th-place finish.
