NO. 7 BUCCANEERS WOMEN’S GOLF WIN REGION XIV TITLE, PUNCH TICKET TO NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

Blinn placed second at the Central District meet is headed to nationals as a team for the third time in program history

The seventh-ranked Blinn College women’s golf team is heading back to the NJCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship.

The Buccaneers finished second at the five-team NJCAA Central District Championship tournament Wednesday to earn an automatic bid for this year’s national competition.

Blinn will compete in the national meet as a team for a second consecutive season and third time in program history.

The Bucs finished play at the Central District meet at 21-over par and fell just three strokes shy of tournament champion and eighth-ranked Redlands Community College.

Of 27 golfers, Blinn placed four in the top 10, led by a second-place tie for freshman Daniah Syed (1-over par). Freshman Abigail O’Brien finished fifth at 4-over, freshman Abiha Syed was 7-over for seventh, and sophomore Pai Tassaneetipagorn took eighth with a 9-over showing.

Blinn also claimed the Region XIV crown Tuesday by outlasting No. 11 Tyler Junior College, which placed third in the district standings. 

The region title was decided by results from both the district tournament and the Hal Sutton Invitational on March 17-18 in Shreveport, La. Tyler finished first at the Hal Sutton Invitational and bested the runner-up Bucs by 14 shots. 

Blinn rebounded at the district meet to outshoot the Apaches by 14 strokes to force a five-versus-five playoff to decide the region champion. The Bucs won the tiebreaker following one extra hole.

Daniah and Abiha Syed finished first and fourth in the region standings to earn all-region recognition. Daniah and Abiha Syed, as well as O’Brien and Tassaneetipagorn were also named to the all-district team.

Up next, Blinn will head to the four-day, 15-team national tournament and begin play on Monday, May 12, at Buffalo Dunes Golf Course in Finney County, Kan.

Story Courtesy of:
Joe Alberico   
Blinn Sports Information Specialist