Senior Shweta Galande is a two-time NCAA Championships individual qualifier, three-time All-GLVC honoree, who led the UMSL women's golf team in scoring last season. She leads the team this year in their attempt to make a fourth consecutive NCAA East Regional bid.
The University of Missouri–St. Louis women’s golf team has concluded each of the last three seasons in the NCAA East Regional, making the program one of the school’s most decorated in recent years. The UMSL Tritons began their trek toward a fourth straight NCAA tournament berth earlier this week with a ninth-place finish at the Smoky Mountain Intercollegiate, hosted by Carson-Newman College in Sevleirville, Tenn.
With a core of talented and experienced golfers returning, expectations are high once again for head coach James Earle, who enters his 10th season at the helm.
Headlining the group of returners is senior Shweta Galande, a two-time NCAA Championships individual qualifier. The three-time All-Great Lakes Valley Conference honoree led the team in scoring last season with an average of 78.0, while recording seven top-10 and five top-five finishes.
Junior Daniela Viotti also returns after another standout campaign on the links in which she earned All-GLVC honors for the second straight year. Viotti posted a team second-best scoring average of 79.5, posting five top-10 finishes, including three in the top five.
Sophomore Bailey Hopper was impressive in her freshman campaign, finishing third on the team with a 79.9 scoring average, while posting six top-10 finishes.
Other returners include seniors Chelsea Kellogg and Samantha Pelc. Kellogg posted a scoring average of 86.1, while Pelc shot an average of 87.7.
Earle also welcomes the addition of freshman Tayler Hoag and junior transfer Gabriela Murcia. Hoag was a two-time all-state honoree at Eden Prairie (Minn.) High School, while Murcia spent the last two seasons at Shorter University (Rome, Ga.), where she posted a scoring average of 80.91 as a sophomore and 79.0 as a freshman.
UMSL will compete in five tournaments during the fall portion of its schedule, including its own Oak Terrace Fall Invitational held at Oak Terrace Resort & Spa in Pana, Ill., Oct. 13-14.
