Leave it to a team from the Sunshine State to warm up to the cold, rainy conditions that plagued the 2006 Division II Women’s Golf Championships.
Rollins, located in Winter Park, Florida, won its fourth straight team title with a late flourish during a tournament that was shortened to 54 holes because of inclement weather.
The stagnant low pressure center spinning over the The Meadows Golf Course on the Grand Valley State campus in Allendale, Michigan, wiped out the second round but didn’t have a long-term effect on the Rollins golfers, who rode a medalist performance from Mariana De Biase to clinch the team crown.
With just two holes to play, De Biase trailed Florida Southern’s Lindsey Bergeon, already in the clubhouse with a one-shot lead. But the Rollins senior sank two mid-range birdie putts on 17 and 18 to win.
The final two holes also were critical to Rollins’ team title, as De Biase, fellow senior Charlotte Campbell and freshman Cristina Gugler helped stave off a late Ferris State charge. The Tars entered the third and final round with a comfortable 14-shot advantage, but the Bulldogs cut it to three behind strong play from Elena Robles, Meghan Hunter and Becky Hoffman, who helped Ferris State post a field-best 300 on the final day.
Rollins’ margin of victory was the closest in four years. The Tars had won the previous three titles by an average of 47 strokes.
“We struggled a little in the final round, but that’s why you build leads,” said Rollins head coach Julie Garner. “This championship is very emotional since it’s the end of the line for our seniors. All of our titles have been very different. This one was a little exciting since it was so close, but I can’t think of a better way to end this amazing run.”
Lynn finished third in the team standings, 26 shots behind runner-up Ferris State. Host Grand Valley State was fourth, followed by Western Washington.
De Biase fired rounds of 74, 74 and 72 on the par-72 course. Bergeon, who was playing as an individual competitor, shared the first-round lead after an even-par 72 then posted rounds of 76 and 73 to finish second. Ferris State’s Robles and Casey McKinnon tied for third, five shots back.
“There isn’t a better unheralded player in the country than Mariana,” said Garner. “To do what she did in these conditions was absolutely amazing. Heading down the stretch, I didn’t tell her the team score, but I knew if she took care of herself, we would be fine.”
Regionals
East — 1. Grand Valley St., 964; 2. Ferris St., 973; 3. Drury, 987; 4. Southern Ind., 1,010; 5. SIU Edwardsville, 1,011; 6. Northern Ky., 1,026. (Grand Valley St. and Ferris St. advance.)
North — 1. Neb.-Omaha, 971; 2. Minn. St. Mankato, 979; 3. North Dakota, 980; 4. Southwest Minn. St., 990; 5. Augustana (S.D.), 993; 6. South Dakota, 996. (Neb.-Omaha and Minn. St. Mankato advance.)
South — Rollins, 899; 2. Lynn, 906; 3. Nova Southeastern, 925; 4. Fla. Southern, 926; 5. (tie) West Fla. and Barry, 930. (Rollins and Lynn advance.)
West — 1. Western N.M., 933; 2. Western Wash., 938; 3. St. Edward’s, 945; 4. Northeastern St., 961; 5. Cal St. Chico, 971; 6. St. Mary’s (Tex.), 975. (Western N.M. and Western Wash. advance.)
Championships
Team results
1. Rollins, 297-314-308 — 919; 2. Ferris St., 307-318-300 — 925; 3. Lynn, 311-325-315 — 951; 4. Grand Valley St., 308-336-319 — 963; 5. Western Wash., 313-335-319 — 967; 6. Western N.M., 313-336-321 — 970; 7. Neb.-Omaha, 324-336-317 — 977; 8. Minn. St. Mankato, 328-329-347 — 1,004.
Individual results
1. Mariana De Biase, Rollins, 74-74-72 — 220; 2. Lindsey Bergeon, Fla. Southern, 72-76-73 — 221; 3. (tie) Casey McKinnon, Ferris St., 74-75-77 — 226; and Elena Robles, Ferris St., 74-78-74 — 226; 5. Katja Trygg, Western Wash., 76-80-74 — 230; 6. Kim Cammer, Western N.M., 75-83-73 — 231; 7. Charlotte Campbell, Rollins, 73-84-76 — 233; 8. (tie) Tonya Choate, Drury, 76-80-78 — 234; and Natasha Morgan, Lynn, 78-79-77 — 234; 10. (tie) Marie-Pierre Bernier, Rollins, 77-76-83 — 236; Rachael Schmidt, Upper Iowa, 74-84-78 — 236; and Vanessa Vela, Rollins, 74-81-81 — 236.
