Women's golf wins AAC title

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From SMUMustangs.com:

Mustangs Win AAC Championship

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. (SMU) – SMU women's golf captured the American Athletic Conference Women's Golf Championship title with a 14-stroke victory on Wednesday at Southern Hills Golf Club.

The Mustangs won their first conference title since 1992 as they broke the AAC tournament record with a 25-under performance. SMU came into the day with a six stroke lead over Tulsa and UCF and quickly distanced themselves from the rest of the field. The Mustangs stretched their lead to 14 by the end of play. The 25-under was the lowest 54-hole score in program history for SMU, breaking the previous program record set back at the Trinity Forest Invitational this season. The victory marked SMU's fifth of the season and fourth-consecutive, both far and away program records.

Yunxuan (Michelle) Zhang captured the individual title for SMU with a 15-under score. Zhang broke the previous AAC Championship record of eight-under par by seven strokes. Zhang had a bogey-free day as she set the SMU 54-hole record previously held by Mackenzie Lee (-12, Icon Invitational). She finished with just one bogey across the entire tournament. The title marked her second of the season after a victory at the Briar's Creek Invitational earlier this season. She was the third Mustang to capture the AAC individual title and fifth to win a conference title (Kennedy Pedigo AAC-2022, Jenny Haglund AAC-2014, Barbara Blackwell SWC-1990, SWC-1992). SMU now holds the record for most individual champions (3) at the AAC Championship.

Lauren Miller charged up the leaderboard on the final day of the tournament. She earned All-Conference honors with a tied for fifth-place finish. She shot a 67 with just one bogey on the day as she moved up nine spots on the leaderboard.

Ellie Szeryk shot a three-under on the final day to move up six spots on the leaderboard. She finished in a tie for eighth place, her fifth top-10 finish this season. Also in a tie for eighth, Ashley Chow had her best showing of the season at the AAC Championship. Chow started the tournament with an opening-round 68 and finished with a 71.

Mackenzie Lee finished in a tie for 21st at the Championship. Lee broke the program record for most birdies in a season at the tournament with 108 across 2022-23. The previous record was 105 set by Brigitte Dunne back in 2016-17.

SMU awaits their destination for the NCAA Regional set for May 8-10 at sites to be determined.