Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Photo by: JC Ridley/Owlpix.com
Women's Golf Shatters Team Records in Shortened Season
3/26/2020 12:50:00 PM | Women's Golf
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University women's golf team, led by head coach Aimee Neff and a pair of standout freshmen, took a huge step forward over the shortened 2019-20 season.
FAU improved its national ranking for a second straight year under Neff. After taking over the No. 190-ranked team in 2018, the second-year coach helped the Owls rise to No. 156 in 2019 and No. 114 in '20.
"I'm encouraged to see the team's hard work and efforts translate into us moving up in the rankings," Neff said. "We know we are capable of more, but I am proud that the team has responded well to change and transition, and they are also all-stars in the classroom and in the community. They truly are student-athletes and I am proud to be their coach."
Neff also brought FAU to its best team scoring average (300) in history. That's more than six strokes better than its 2018-19 total of 306.73, the previous program record.
Freshman Justine Fournand played a big role in FAU's resurgence and found herself in the record books as a result. This season, Fournand posted an all-time program-best 72.90 scoring average. Fournand also shot par or less in nine of her 21 rounds, good for the second-best percentage (42.8%) in team history. Her three eagles and 52 birdies rank first and third, respectively, among all-time FAU women's golfers.
At the Pat Bradley Invitational, Fournand recorded a 5-under-par 67, marking the second best single-round performance in team history.
Kim Egozi had an excellent freshman campaign in her own right. Over 21 rounds, Egozi shot three at par or less and recorded the eighth-best scoring average (75.71) in FAU history. Egozi finished right behind Fournand in birdies (nine) and eagles (one).
"It is awesome when you have two freshmen step in and make an immediate difference in your program," Neff said of Fournand and Egozi. "I believe they will continue to develop and grow as people and golfers and they will be leaders in the next three years as we continue to improve and rise on the national scene."
Seniors Amanda Leslie and Taylor Morgan cemented themselves among the program's all-time greats this season. They finished third and fifth, respectively, in career scoring average.Those two, along with Kayla Longo, transferred to FAU ahead of the 2017-18 season, stayed competitive through a coaching change, and are now leaving the team in a better place.
"Amanda, Taylor and Kayla bought in to what we are doing as a program, which I'm very thankful for," said Neff, who also cited sophomores Rosa Barnak and Arielle Keating as key components to her team's ascension. "I wanted us to compete in everything we do, and they were all extremely competitive. They competed, looked out for their teammates, did whatever I asked of them and again were great ambassadors for FAU in the classroom and in the community. It makes a world of difference when you have upperclassmen who buy in and hold their teammates accountable, and everyone gets better as a result."
Neff is happy with her team's improvement this season, but by no means satisfied. She believes they're just getting started.
"I think our best golf was still ahead of us this spring, and I was as sad as anyone when the season ended abruptly," Neff said. "That being said, the future is bright with our top two scoring averages coming from freshmen. We played in what I believe was the most competitive schedule in the history of our program and I think our young women saw what it takes to hang with the best teams. There is a lot we don't control, but this season only re-enforces that we must take ownership in what we do control and do our best each time we tee it up."
FAU improved its national ranking for a second straight year under Neff. After taking over the No. 190-ranked team in 2018, the second-year coach helped the Owls rise to No. 156 in 2019 and No. 114 in '20.
"I'm encouraged to see the team's hard work and efforts translate into us moving up in the rankings," Neff said. "We know we are capable of more, but I am proud that the team has responded well to change and transition, and they are also all-stars in the classroom and in the community. They truly are student-athletes and I am proud to be their coach."
Neff also brought FAU to its best team scoring average (300) in history. That's more than six strokes better than its 2018-19 total of 306.73, the previous program record.
Freshman Justine Fournand played a big role in FAU's resurgence and found herself in the record books as a result. This season, Fournand posted an all-time program-best 72.90 scoring average. Fournand also shot par or less in nine of her 21 rounds, good for the second-best percentage (42.8%) in team history. Her three eagles and 52 birdies rank first and third, respectively, among all-time FAU women's golfers.
At the Pat Bradley Invitational, Fournand recorded a 5-under-par 67, marking the second best single-round performance in team history.
Kim Egozi had an excellent freshman campaign in her own right. Over 21 rounds, Egozi shot three at par or less and recorded the eighth-best scoring average (75.71) in FAU history. Egozi finished right behind Fournand in birdies (nine) and eagles (one).
"It is awesome when you have two freshmen step in and make an immediate difference in your program," Neff said of Fournand and Egozi. "I believe they will continue to develop and grow as people and golfers and they will be leaders in the next three years as we continue to improve and rise on the national scene."
Seniors Amanda Leslie and Taylor Morgan cemented themselves among the program's all-time greats this season. They finished third and fifth, respectively, in career scoring average.Those two, along with Kayla Longo, transferred to FAU ahead of the 2017-18 season, stayed competitive through a coaching change, and are now leaving the team in a better place.
"Amanda, Taylor and Kayla bought in to what we are doing as a program, which I'm very thankful for," said Neff, who also cited sophomores Rosa Barnak and Arielle Keating as key components to her team's ascension. "I wanted us to compete in everything we do, and they were all extremely competitive. They competed, looked out for their teammates, did whatever I asked of them and again were great ambassadors for FAU in the classroom and in the community. It makes a world of difference when you have upperclassmen who buy in and hold their teammates accountable, and everyone gets better as a result."
Neff is happy with her team's improvement this season, but by no means satisfied. She believes they're just getting started.
"I think our best golf was still ahead of us this spring, and I was as sad as anyone when the season ended abruptly," Neff said. "That being said, the future is bright with our top two scoring averages coming from freshmen. We played in what I believe was the most competitive schedule in the history of our program and I think our young women saw what it takes to hang with the best teams. There is a lot we don't control, but this season only re-enforces that we must take ownership in what we do control and do our best each time we tee it up."
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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