Tech to tee-off 2021-22 season at Wolverine Invitational – VT hokiesports.com
BLACKSBURG, Va. – The 20th-ranked Virginia Tech women's golf team is set to open its 2021-22 season Monday-Tuesday at the Wolverine Invitational hosted by the University of Michigan.
The Hokies, who are coming off an historic season, will play 54 holes on the University of Michigan Golf Course. The par 71, 6,232-yard layout will give Tech an opportunity to preview one of the potential regional host sites next spring.
As Carol Robertson is entering her eighth season overall and seventh season of competition as head coach of the Virginia Tech women's golf program, we have only seen this program flourish. Robertson and the Hokies are coming off their best season in program history where they advanced to their first national championship, had two All-ACC golfers for the first time – Emily Mahar and Becca DiNunzio – and had Mahar become the second Hokie to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open.
Tech had additional program records in 2021 when it earned the No. 4 seed in the Stanford Regional, ascended to No. 14 in the Golfstat national rankings and earned its third straight NCAA regional bid.
DiNunzio, who led the Hokies last season with a 72.67 scoring average, posted a team-best 12 par-or-better rounds. She finished inside the top 20 six times and was ranked 63rd in the country by Golfstat.
Mahar is another important veteran returning this season. In 2021, the senior totaled five top-20 performances and was second on the team with a 72.81 scoring average, which ranked 13th in the ACC. Mahar added to her already impressive resume when she played in the 2021 U.S. Women's Open at The Olympic Club and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2021 U.S. Women's Amateur at Westchester Country Club.
Keerattriya Foocharoen, another returner, finished last season with a scoring average of 73.90, third-best on the team. The senior notched three top-20 showings and racked up seven par-or-better rounds.
Beatriz Mosquera Quintas will be joining her fellow seniors on the course this season. Even though Mosquera Quintas did not compete in an event for the 2021 season, she brings experience and potential from her two seasons at Radford. In the 2018-19 season, Mosquera Quintas earned All-Big South, All-Freshman and All-Tournament honors, making her the first player in Radford history to earn all three awards in the same season. In 2019-20, the La Coruna, Spain native competed in 20 rounds across seven tournaments and finished 15th at the ECU Pirate Intercollegiate with a 10-over 226.
Alyssa Montgomery will be one to watch as she has the potential to go low in a hurry. She fired four rounds in the 60s last season, including a season-best 6-under 66 in the opening round of the Valspar Augusta Invitational. Her 66 tied a school record for lowest round in relation to par. The junior is coming off a sophomore season where she recorded a 74.71 scoring average and tied for 16th at the ACC Championship.
Symone Henriques is the Hokies' only transfer this season. The junior college transfer previously competed at Daytona State College. At DSC, Henriques won the Stetson Hatter Fall Classic and finished fourth at the Lady Paladin Invitational. Before heading to DSC, Henriques played for her native South Africa in the 2019 The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship where she competed against current Tech teammate Mahar.
Tech also welcomes a pair of freshman this season in Ginnie Lee and Kyrsten Shawah. Lee has competed and won in the Campine International Junior Golf Classic U18 In Belgium in 2016, the overall Junior Tour Event U16 in Switzerland, the Swiss Romande National Open Championship in 2017, and the Finnish International Junior Championship U16 in Finland. In 2018, Lee won the Swiss National Girls U18 and had a course-record of 68. The Lausanne, Switzerland native also won an event on the Swiss Golf Tour in 2019 where she competed against professionals.
Shawah placed first in the District 13 FHSAA tournament, won districts and regionals for three consecutive years, and was named the 2018 South Florida Section PGA Player of the year for girls 13-18. The Boca Raton, Florida native has won an FSGA junior 54-hole major tournament, where she recorded a hole-in-one. Shawah also won the SFJPGA Junior Tour Fox Club tournament, the Coastal Carolina Junior Championship and the SFJPGA Junior Open.
Tech will travel Foocharoen, DiNunzio, Mahar, Lee and Montgomery for its season opener, while Henriques will compete as an individual. The Hokies will be paired with Washington and Ohio State for Monday's opening two rounds. Live stats will be available through Golfstat.
Wolverine Invitational
Date: September 13-14
Host Course: University of Michigan Golf Course (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Par: 71
Yardage: 6,232
Tournament Lineup