The Pioneer women’s golf team captured its ninth-straight Sun Belt Conference title last Wednesday in Muscle Shoals, Ala.  Freshman Rachael Watton also claimed the individual title after finishing one-under par during the tournament (71-73-71).

“We didn’t really know what to expect after an up-and-down spring,” said head coach Sammie Chergo. “But we felt that we were well-prepared after having played the 15th-strongest schedule in the country this year.”

The Pioneers showed their strength as a team, starting the last day up by 17. They held the lead and beat 2nd-place finisher Middle Tennessee by 17 strokes.

Individually, the contest was much closer. On the final day, Watton was neck-and-neck with Florida International’s Katie Munday. Watton tapped in a two-foot putt in sudden death to claim the individual crown, finishing with a final round score of 71. With a score of 215, she is the first DU golfer to win a conference championship since Kimberly Kim in 2010.

Watton also earned All-Conference honors and was named the SBC Freshman of the Year.

“Rachael is a really good ball striker and a great competitor,” said Chergo. “She plays well under pressure and I think this first win has given her a lot of confidence which will carry on into regionals and other tournaments.”

Sophomore Tonje Daffinrud cracked the top five, placing 4th with a final round score of 74. Junior Kelly Drack was the third Pioneer to place in the top 10, carding a final-round 73 and finishing four-over par for the tournament. They were also both named All-SBC tournament team.

“That’s one key part of our team,” said Chergo. “We don’t have one stand-out player; we have a handful who can play and shoot low scores at any time.”

As the team will be moving to the Western Athletic Conference next year, this was their final opportunity to claim the SBC championship. The team now looks forward to competing in the NCAA Regional Tournament May 10-12.