Fifth-year senior Danae Rugola earned medalist honors to lead the Youngstown State women's golf team to a dominant season-opening victory at the YSU Kickoff on Saturday at Mill Creek Golf Course in Boardman, Ohio.
The Penguins fired a single-round team score of 287 to finish the event at one under par. YSU's 287 is tied for the third-lowest 18-hole performance in program history. The performance marks just the fourth time in school history that the Penguins have shot below par as a team. YSU cruised to victory as it finished 26 strokes ahead of runner-up Northern Kentucky, which posted a single-round team score of 313.
Seven of the eight Penguins who competed finished in the top 11 of the individual standings.
Rugola earned medalist honors for the third time in her career by matching her career-low round with a four-under-par 68. The performance is tied for the fifth-lowest 18-hole score in school history. The performance is also tied for the fourth-lowest round in relation to par in program history. The Uniontown, Pa., native joins her former teammate Katyln Shutt as just the second player in YSU history to shoot 68 or below on three or more occasions.
Senior Madie Smithco placed second with an even-par round of 72 while freshman Neeranuch Prajunpanich tied for third with a one-over-par 73 in her collegiate debut.
Sophomore Adena Rugola matched the lowest round of her career with a two-over-par 74 to place fifth. Playing as an individual, sophomore Chaela Barnett also notched a top-10 finish by placing sixth with a five-over-par round of 77.
Senior Titita Loudtragulngam and junior Lizzie Saur each carded a 78 to tie for seventh while redshirt sophomore Kelly Hutton matched her career-low round of 89 to place 22nd.
In the team standings, Westminster placed third with a 335 while John Carroll was fourth with a 374. Thiel finished fifth with a team score of 393 while Franciscan was sixth with a 542.
Youngstown State will continue its fall schedule on Sept. 16-17 with the Nittany Lion Invitational hosted by Penn State at the PSU Blue Course in University Park, Pa.
For news and updates throughout the fall season, follow @YSUWomensGolf on X and Instagram.
