HAVERHILL, Mass. (September 25, 2017) – For the first time in program history, the Franklin Pierce University women's golf team brought home the Northeast-10 Conference title to Rindge on Tuesday afternoon as the Crimson and Grey bested three-time champion, host Merrimack College by two strokes.

The Championship was held in Haverhill, Mass. at the Haverhill Country Club, a par 72 5,861 yard course. Golfers had to endure extreme heat as temperatures on the links climbed close to 90 degrees on both days.

The no. 1 seeded Ravens recorded a two round score of 618 (+42) as the no. 2 seeded Warriors tallied a 620 (+44) showing. FPU and MC dropped two strokes from their first day total, but the Ravens held a stroke advantage over their counterparts at the conclusion on each round. No. 3 seed Le Moyne College racked up a team total of 670 (+94) for third place.

Franklin Pierce snapped a three year runner-up streak as Merrimack won the first three NE10 titles. However this was the first year the conference champion earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II East Super Regional. The Ravens will be taking part in the three round Regionals at the Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids, Mich. from Monday, May 7th to Wednesday, May 9th.

Head coach Tyler Bishop, who coached Camden Morrison (Millis, Mass.) as an individual at the NCAA Division II Championship last year, gets to bring his squad to the NCAA Regionals for the first time in program history. "This was an amazing championship run by the NE10 Conference, Haverhill Country Club and host Merrimack College" said Bishop. "I want to thank them for all their hard work in making this a first class tournament. I am so proud of our team and what they accomplished over the last two days. Merrimack played great golf and we really had to earn this victory. Our seniors Taylor Schmidt (West Bridgewater, Mass.) and Camden Morrison, who started this program four years ago came up huge for us. Taylor played one of her best collegiate rounds today (Monday) shooting a 76 (+4) and Camden shot a 67 (-5) yesterday. After a tough first nine today, we played even on the back to secure our first ever conference championship. I am so proud of our program and how far we have come in just four years."  

Every FPU golfer who competed finished within the championships top-10. Morrison led all Raven golfers by totaling a 143 (-1) across the two rounds for a second place finish. She shot a career-low round on Sunday at 67 (-5) in the intense heat. Joining Morrison within the top-five was Sarah Daley (Beverly, Mass.) who turned in a 158 (+14) scorecard as she shot a consistent 79 (+7) over both days. Morrison, who led all golfers in birdies (10) and par 4 scoring (3.80, -4) along with Daley's strong performance earned themselves selections to the NE10 All-Championship Team.

"It is amazing to see how far we have come as a team and I couldn't be more proud to be a part of this team" said Morrison. "We wanted this one because it's our last year to qualify for Regionals and we got it, so I couldn't be more proud."

The remaining three Raven golfers all bettered their day one cards by dropping strokes over their final 18 holes. Sophomore Taylor Hartley (Battle Ground, Wash.) knocked off three strokes from her day one 81 (+9) score to a 78 (+6) as she tied with Schmidt for sixth place at 159 (+15). Schmidt was the Ravens most improved golfer during the final round as she came through in the clutch by cutting seven strokes off her card. "I can't express how proud I am of this team of girls" said Schmidt. "Cam and I have looked forward to this every year for the last four years and as seniors, we knew it was going to be our last chance to win it. I know the whole team is continuing to look forward to the opportunity to compete at Regionals together."

Teammate Zoe Yamamoto (Honolulu, Hawaii) tied for eighth place at 161 (+17) as she bettered her first day total (83, +11) by five strokes on Monday (78, +6).

The Crimson and Grey have a three week layoff until they host the FPU Fall Invitational on Sunday, October 15th at the Keene Country Club in Keene, N.H.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce golf athletic apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).