Wheeling, W. Va. – After training all year and preparing at four different invitationals, the time has come for the 2022 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Women's Golf Championship. The Wheeling University Women's Golf team prepares to defend their 2021 title and looks to go back-to-back when they open tournament play on Monday. After a slow showing at the Ashland Invitational, the Cardinals are looking to bounce back strong as they compete against the best of the best in the conference.

Last time out, the Cardinals took on the Eagle Invitational in Ashland, Ohio, and didn't have the scores they were hoping for. Emily Holzopfel led the way, shooting an 81 and an 82 respectively, and the Cardinals finished ninth in the field of 11 teams. However, day two saw the team have some big comebacks, with three of their five golfers shooting better than they did in day one. In total, the Cardinals shot a 706 across the two-day event, with an even 353 on both days. With so many bounce back efforts on day two, the Cardinals are looking to take that momentum with them into the championship event.  The Cardinals are looking to get back to their early season numbers as they compete with both Glenville State and Charleston for the top spot in the conference.

Leading the way once again is the defending 2021 MEC Women's Golfer of the Year, Emily Holzopfel, who has led the way in all four of their invitationals. She has an average round score of just over 78 this season and picked up two tournament wins earlier in the year. Her best showing came at the Charleston Invitational, when she tied for first overall and was the top golfer in the MEC. She shot a season-best 74 to open the event and followed it up by heating that best when she added a 73 on dat two. She will be looking for similar success this time out as she competes against many of the same golfers that she did at the Eagle Invitational. A duplicate performance of the Charleston Invitational would go a long way to netting her another Women's Golfer of the Year Award.

Behind her are a few promising young golfers who have been growing throughout the season. Freshman Marra Johnson has been consistently shooting in the 80's throughout the season, shooting an average of about 85 throughout the season. However, she shot a 94 in round one of the Eagle Invitational and had to show that she can bounce back. She did just that, dropping her score by six strokes to shoot an 88 on the afternoon. Nicole Lincicome had a strong start to the Eagle Invitational, shooting an 85 to tie for her season best mark. Both golfers will look to be in the 80s this week as they help their team try and lower their team score.

The 2022 MEC Championship will be a three-day event running at Avalon Lakes Country Club in Avalon Lakes, Ohio. All nine teams will compete in the first two days of action, going through 36 holes in two days. After that, the top six teams will advance to day three, and the top three individuals from non-advancing teams will also move on. The remaining teams will compete for the MEC Championship. The Cardinals have won three MEC Championships in their history, but have never won back-to-back crowns. They look to do just that this week competing with the best of the best from around the MEC.

Last Year's Event