Welte Finishes Tied for First at the AAC Tournament; Earns All-Tournament Honors

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - Milligan has punched its ticket to the 2023 NAIA National Championship Tournament as it won the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Women's Golf Direct Qualifier Tournament on Tuesday.

The two-day event was held at Link Hills Country Club in Greeneville, Tenn.

Milligan entered the day tied with SCAD Atlanta as both squads shot a 330 during round one. However, Milligan shot 18 strokes better during the final round to finish at 642, edging SCAD Atlanta by six strokes.

Truett McConnell (668) was third, while Tennessee Wesleyan (685) and Reinhardt (690) rounded out the top five. Making up the rest of the field were Brenau (692), Point (724), Bryan (758), and Montreat (808).

By virtue of winning the tournament, Milligan receives an automatic berth to the NAIA National Championship Tournament, which will be held on May 23-26 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill.

At the end of regulation play, there was a three-way tie for the medalist honors between Lauren Welte of Reinhardt, Maisie Hassall of Tennessee Wesleyan, and Shelly Jang of SCAD Atlanta. All three parred the first playoff hole, requiring play to continue. On the second playoff hole, Jang was able to par, while Welte and Hassall each went over par.

All three earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team. There was a four-way tie for fourth, meaning Martha Sanchez of SCAD Atlanta, Gabby Hammond of Milligan, Sarah Castle of Milligan, and Kate Castle of Milligan also made the All-Tournament.

The Eagles finished in 5th position as a team with a total score of 690 for the two rounds. Weltte shot a 79 on day one and 80 on day two for a total of 159, which put her in the three-way tie for first place. Following Welte was Brooke Newsome who finished in 12th position with an 89 & 76 for her two days. Caroline Goddard was next with a 180 total followed by Debbie Blount (184) and Maggie Mullins (196).

It was a good showing for the Eagles as the team keeps on improving. Having a golfer in the top position is an incredible accomplishment from where they were just one year ago. With new additions, this team will keep moving up and challenging for the conference title and move on to the NAIA Nationals.

For the team scores, click here. For the individual results, click here.

The All-AAC Team and Awards were also announced. Making the first team are Kate Castle and Alayna Perryman of Milligan; Hassall; Megan Ahmadi of SCAD Atlanta; and Mary Grace Davidson of Truett McConnell. Earning spots on the second team are Madison Panter of Truett McConnell; Martha Sanchez and Ariel Zhu of SCAD Atlanta; and Mallory TeVrucht and Sarah Castle of Milligan.

Kate Castle of Milligan is the Player of the Year. Lauren Welte was named to the AAC All-Tournament Team and she was named to the Champions of Character team as well.

In addition, 11 student-athletes were named to the Champions of Character Team with a couple of dozen making the All-Academic Team. For the full list of honorees, click here.