March 14, 2005

Siena's Women's Golf program has a reputation that speaks for itself. With four consecutive MAAC Championships under their belt, Head Coach Theresa Wenzel and company have established themselves as a perennial powerhouse in the conference. This season hopes to be even better. With six returning golfers and two new highly talented recruits, Siena will be a force to be reckoned with on the lynx this spring.

The Saints not only take pride in their athletic performance, but in academics as well. Junior Jillian Blanchard was recently named to the 2004 MAAC All Academic Team. With a brutal mix of brains and brawn, the Saints will set out this spring to dominate all who cross their paths on the golf course.

In her 7th season as the Siena Saints Women's Golf Coach, Wenzel hopes that the 2005 spring season will be as prosperous in wins as the prior fall was. The Saints notched three first place wins, including the fall finale at the Hofstra Invitational. The Saints defeated Hartford, Fairfield, and Albany earning a first place finish at the University of Albany Quadrangular Match.

They also earned the top spot at the Lehigh Invitational, shooting a total of 668. Jillian Blanchard and sophomore Laura Wooglar tied for second, both shooting a combined 162. "I'm proud of the way our team played," said Coach Wenzel. "We hope to carry the momentum into the rest of the season." The momentum is definitely on the Lady Saints' side as they hope to capture their fifth straight MAAC Championship.

Juniors

Rounding out this talented pool of upperclassmen, the trio of Jillian Blanchard, Lauren Shaia, and Rachel Scalzo hope to propel the level of prominence that the Saints already possess. And why not when you have this group of girls who each have individual accomplishments that are unparallel to any other group of golfers in the MAAC.

Blanchard took second at the Hofstra Invitational, shooting a two-round combined score of 158. She led after the first day of the invitational, shooting a low score of 77. Blanchard brings a mental edge to the team, as her academics and athletics intertwine to accelerate the Saints to elitism. Her successes on and off the course hope to continue as she enters the spring season.

Without a single senior on the Lady Saints golf team, Rachel Scalzo looks to fill in for the lack of seniority. As the captain of her native high school Christian Brothers Academy's golf team, Scalzo is used to being a team leader. While at CBA, she also earned MVP of the team her junior and senior years. She brings a certain leadership quality to the Saints that officially completes the squad. On the course, Scalzo is quite consistent and has a calming effect on her teammates. Rachel worked hard over the summer and fall to extend her range and further develop her consistency from tee to green. Her calm demeanor and focus helps produce great things for the Saints.

Brooklyn native Lauren Shaia offers a strong drive and a soft stroke with the putter. Shaia was named MVP of her high school golf team in each of her four varsity years. Shaia spreads her competitive fire amongst her teammates, making the Saints an even stronger core.

Sophomores

In only their second year as Saints, these three ladies can do it all. The combination of Laura Woolgar, Megan Angis, and Samantha Rossi represent the heart and soul of the team. Woolgar, most notably, is the premiere player in the MAAC. Last season, she won the MAAC individual women's championship, garnering herself with the McLeod Award. This award is given to the winner of the individual conference champion. In both rounds of the championship she shot an 81, making her combined score a 162. She was also the season low-scorer of the Saints. She came in fourth at the Hofstra Invitational last fall, shooting a low of 160. At the Lehigh Invitational, she tied for second with Jillian Blanchard, shooting a total of 162. With only one year of collegiate experience, Woolgar looks to defend her crown and win her second straight MAAC Championship.

Maine native Megan Angis hopes that the success that she found last fall carries onward into the spring. Angis shot an 89 at the U Albany Quadrangular Match, helping to propel the Saints to victory. At the Princeton Invitational, one of the toughest in the country, Angis tied for 45th, shooting a 177 total. Angis has been very dedicated in the off season to shortening her backswing. The combination of a shorter backswing and an already existing strong short game will only make her that much more of an impact for the Saints. Samantha Rossi, a local product of Colonie High School, is a potential threat with a driver. This hometown hero took fourth place at the MAAC Championships last year. With Rossi's dedication to improving her short game in the off season, she'll be shooting for first place, while helping the Saints shoot for their fifth consecutive title.

Freshmen

Newcomers Melissa Agostinelli and Bridget Erwin look to make an immediate impact for the Saints. Erwin has an endless barrage of high school accolades. She took the Section III Championship her senior season at Syracuse's Christian Brothers Academy. At the State Regional Finals that year, Erwin earned a third place finish. But what places Erwin among the elite golfers in the nation is the fact that she qualified for the Westfield PGA National Junior Golf Championship; a championship that pits the best of the best in high school golf against each other. There's no doubt that Erwin's stellar accomplishments will continue at the Division 1 level.

Melissa Agostinelli, a Rochester native, hopes to catapult herself to success with the Saints this spring. The future already looks promising for Agostinelli. She finished in the top 10 in three of the Saint's five fall invitationals, including a fourth place finish at the Lehigh Invitational and the U Albany Quadrangular Match.

Schedule

The Saints face four invitationals this spring, with the first match coming against Bethune-Cookman on February 25th. Coincidentally, each match except for the Hartford Invitational will be in Florida, so the ladies will be sure to stock up on suntan lotion. Bethune-Cookman poses a potential threat to the Saints. They've recently come off a victory in the Women's Collegiate Classic in Atlanta, winning the tournament with only four players. The Saints then travel to Ocala on March 19th to compete in the Marshall Invitational. The Saints will then travel to Tampa for the Richmond Invitational before heading back up north for the Hartford Invitational on April 10th. Nine days later, the Saints will look to retain their crown as champions of the MAAC and capture their fifth straight championship in Orlando on April 21st at the MAAC Championship. The final round of the championship will be on April 24th.