LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The University of Dayton women's golf team finished in third place at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship.  The championship was held at Disney's Magnolia Golf Course.  Freshman Abby Bitto and sophomore Ellie Cronin were named to the MAAC All-Conference Team after their top-10 finishes at the tournament.


Led by top 20 finishers Abby Bitto and Ellie Cronin, the third place finish is the best finish for the Flyers at the MAAC Championship.  Bitto's two birdies helped her lead the team in scoring for the first time this season.  Cronin battled the course all day long in the final round with a double and a triple bogey, but bounced back with two birdies to finish strong in her last six holes. Teammates Abby Bitto, Ellie Cronin and Alexa Amato combined for eight birdies in the final round to solidify Dayton's third place finish.


University of Albany won the MAAC Championship with a score of 301-313-307 = 921 (+57). Albany's Annie Lee took home the individual medalist honors with a score of 75-71-74 = 220 (+4).


Abby Bitto reflected on the overall performance at the MAAC Championship:

"I went into the MAAC Championship with the thought to play my game and just have fun. Throughout the golf season I pressed a lot for a good score, but any player knows you cannot play good golf that way. Golf is a difficult game when you are pressing on every shot, so the carefree attitude I took really bode me well. My game came together in a clutch moment, I was striking the ball very solid, and all aspects of my game came together.  I am very proud of my teammates for how they played at this tournament. We all approached the tournament with confidence, and we knew what we could do. Getting into trouble on this course is easy, but my teammates are smart and know how to deal with the adversity. Three of us had never played the course before, but with the help of those who had we all had strategies perfectly fitted to each of our games. Finishing third in this tournament has shown us what we can do. The University of Albany played a perfect tournament to secure them the win; with the knowledge we have now I see a bright and perfect tournament in our future."
DAYTON PARTICIPANTS
Team Score: 316-321-310 = 947 (+83) – third place

t-6th Abby Bitto (5) 76-80-75 = 231 (+15)
t-7th Ellie Cronin (1)  77-79-78 = 234 (+18)
t-16th Alexa Amato (4) 82-83-76 = 241 (+25)
t-23rd Emma Meyer (3) 81-84-81 = 246 (+30)
t-24th Emily Connors (2) 83-79-85 = 246 (+30)