Earlham College Women's Golf was the first varsity team to open competition this academic year and will be the final program to conclude its conference championship season. The Quakers teed it up on August 26 at Trine University and will close the year May 10 at the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Championship.
The fall season marked a significant step forward for the program. The Linksters posted a team scoring average of 389.3, representing a 41-stroke improvement over last season. First-year
Izzy Flint (West Lafayette, IN) led the way with an 87.9 scoring average, highlighted by two top-10 finishes and a school-record round of 164 (+20) at the Randy Sadler Invitational. Flint currently ranks No. 671 nationally.
Sophomores
Brileigh Quillen-Popejoy (Kokomo, IN),
Erin Wright (Muncie, IN), and
Ellen Morrill (Beavercreek, OH) each recorded career-best rounds during the fall campaign. Quillen-Popejoy, ranked No. 889 nationally, also notched her first career top-20 finish at the HCAC Preview. First-year golfers
Rylie Kellams (Alexandria, IN), ranked No. 997,
Taylor Oberjohann (Harrison, OH), and Mary Kaitlyn Bauer (Oklahoma City, OK) all earned time in the starting lineup, gaining valuable collegiate experience.
The spring lineup will be strengthened by the return of senior Macky Laughlin (Richmond, IN), who studied abroad in Prague during the fall semester. The spring schedule is highlighted by the televised Island Pointe Intercollegiate, hosted by Defiance College in Kodak, Tennessee, on March 12–13, as well as the 4th Annual Earlham Spring Invitational at Richmond Elks Country Club on April 18–19. The HCAC Championship will take place May 8–10 at the historic Anderson Country Club.
Head Coach
Matt Brown reflected on the team's progress, stating, "This group is clearly on the right trajectory. If we stay healthy, I expect more school records to fall this spring. With a strong recruiting class arriving next year, the standard for Earlham women's golf continues to rise."