No. 24 Buffs win AAC Fall Championship by 16 strokes

BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 20, 2020) – Michaela Lindahl carded rounds of 76 and 78 to lead the No. 24 Milligan University women's golf team to the Appalachian Athletic Conference Fall Championship title Tuesday at Chateau Elan Resort.

The Buffs have now earned one of the top two spots at each of the last eight AAC Fall Championships and claimed the title for the first time since 2017.

"I thought the girls played really well this weekend on a challenging course," Head Coach Tony Wallingford said after the event. "I thought scores were a little elevated today due to some difficult hole locations. We have some work to do, especially with the short game, but we are looking forward to next week's event at Coastal Georgia."

All six competing Buffs finished inside the top 25, including Lindahl, who was the top AAC finisher, and Alayna Perryman (79-78) and Meryl Castle (80-82), who finished second and seventh, respectively, among AAC competitors.

Emma Brown (79-84) rounded out Milligan's scoring in eighth. Nellie Berglund and freshman Gabby Hammond, who competed as an individual, all finished in the top 25 in the AAC field.

As a team, Milligan (314-322) held a comfortable nine-stroke lead over the rest of the AAC field after Monday's opening round. The Buffaloes then followed with the low score by three strokes on day two to increase their advantage and claim a 16-stroke edge heading into the AAC Spring Championship, scheduled for next spring.

The AAC regular-season champion is determined by combining scores from the AAC fall and spring championships. The AAC player of the year is determined by combining scores from both championships, plus the NAIA AAC Direct Qualifier, also scheduled for next spring.

Up next, Milligan wraps up the fall slate next Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 26-27, with a trip to Jekyll Island, Georgia, for the Jekyll Island Intercollegiate, hosted by Coastal Georgia. The event will take place at Jekyll Island Golf Club.