FRONT ROYAL, Va. -- A new venue will be added to the list of ODAC championship hosts following this weekend and early next week. Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Club will play host to the ODAC Women's Golf Championship for the first time, welcoming the league's eight competing squads for a 54-hole event beginning on Sunday, April 21 and concluding on Tuesday, April 23.
The conference's eight competing squads will compete on the par-72 track set to 5,656 yards, a custom-long distance for this tournament. All players will be on-site for a practice round on Saturday before kicking off competition mid-morning on Sunday.
Opening tee times are a bit different each day. The first threesome of players will hit the course at 11:00 a.m. ET to open the first round. There will be 15 total groups teeing off hole #1 with the last at 1:06 p.m. ET. Play in round two is slated to begin at 10:24 a.m. ET, while the final 18 holes features the earliest start time with an 8:00 a.m. ET call.
Fans should stay tuned to all online and social channels for schedule changes should weather become a concern.
Washington and Lee University has won five straight ODAC titles, claiming last season's trophy by 21 strokes over runner-up University of Lynchburg following three rounds of weather-impacted play at Old Trail Golf Club in Crozet, Va.
The Generals Julia Haetzel did not let the elements stop her from shooting a final round 2-under 69 to win the individual medal by one stroke of Lynchburg's Emily Brubaker. Haetzel's round was the low 18-hole mark of the tournament, helping her to a 7-over 220.
The challenge for both team and individual crowns in 2024 is real with strong competition for both. Washington and Lee, Lynchburg, and Randolph-Macon College open as the most likely challengers for the team championship. Individually, ODAC fans saw several players make a run at last year's title. The same could be true this season with ODAC standouts peaking at the right time.
To shed some light on the ODAC's teams and players, we note each squads current national ranking by
Clippd as well as those players that rank inside Division III's top-150.
TEAM RANKINGS
- Averett: 82nd | 0.53 pts.
- Bridgewater: 85th | 0.50 pts.
- Lynchburg: 29th | 3.61 pts.
- Randolph-Macon: 42nd | 2.07 pts.
- Shenandoah: 123rd | 0.09 pts.
- Sweet Briar: 144th | 0.01 pts.
- Virginia Wesleyan: 114th | 0.13 pts.
- Washington and Lee: 8th | 11.53 pts.
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (D3 TOP-150)
- Emily Brubaker, LYN: 12th | 34.33 pts.
- Ella Wong, WLU: 19th | 31.63 pts.
- Morgan Mussatt, RMC: 22nd | 28.98 pts.
- Marcella Mercer, WLU: 45th | 18.65 pts.
- An Shelmire, WLU: 86th | 10.45 pts.
- Laetitia Roegner, WLU: 87th | 10.42 pts.
- Julia Haetzel, WLU: 94th | 9.36 pts.
- Alexis Haller, RMC: 107th | 7.75 pts.
- Amani Narang, SBC: 127th | 6.69 pts.
- Lily Rowe, LYN: 132nd | 6.59 pts.