CHAMPIONS! Women’s Golf Wins CAA Championship; Henkel Claims Individual Title in Playoff

Sunday, April 14

Southport, N.C.

8:00 AM

University of Delaware

CAA Championships

Photo by: Doug Neeb

CHAMPIONS! Women’s Golf Wins CAA Championship; Henkel Claims Individual Title in Playoff

4/14/2024 5:59:00 PM | Women's Golf

SOUTHPORT, N.C. – For the third time in program history, the University of Delaware women's golf team has won the CAA Championship, taking home the crown on Sunday afternoon in an exciting final round at The Reserve Club at St. James (Par 72 / 6,013 yards). The Blue Hens carded team rounds of 312-305-292 win by four strokes at 45-over par 909, finishing just ahead of Charleston and UNCW which tied for second at 49-over par.

Junior Lilia Henkel won the individual title in the first hole of a playoff to become the second Blue Hen to take the honor and the first since Andi Slane won consecutive CAA Championships in 2015 and 2016. Henkel sunk a birdie punt on the 18th hole that clinched the team win and forced a playoff with Victoria Hund of Charleston. Playing the 18th hole again in the playoff, she successfully made an up-and-down from the bunker to claim the trophy and become just the second CAA champion to win in a playoff.

HENS HIGHLIGHTS

T1. Lilia Henkel – 79-71-73=223 (+7)
6. Alisa Khokhlova – 74-80-74=228 (+12)
T12. Marissa Malosh – 79-77-77=233 (+17)
T13. Christina Carroll – 86-80-68=234 (+18)
T23. Oihana Etxezarreta – 80-77-80=237 (+21)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Blue Hens trailed UNCW by five shots after the first two rounds, but quickly erased that deficit early in Sunday's final round.
UD was in a battle with Charleston for much of the final nine holes with each team going back in forth with 1-stroke leads. Malosh and Henkel both birdied the 18th hole to clinch the victory.
Delaware totaled 43 birdies during the tournament, including 18 on Sunday when the squad carded a tournament-best score of 292. Teams battled high winds over the first two rounds on Friday and Saturday.
Henkel became the first player in the field to card a round under par as she finished a 1-under par with five birdies in Saturday's second round to tie for the tournament lead after 36 holes. On Sunday, Henkel recorded four more birdies, including on 16 and 18 to remain tied atop the standings.
Khokhlova placed sixth overall with 11 birdies across the three rounds. It is her second-straight top-10 finish at the CAA Championship.
Malosh, playing in her first CAA Championship, totaled five birdies, including two on the final three holes to help clinch UD's victory.
Carroll bounced back from tough rounds on Friday and Saturday to tie for the tournament low with a 4-under par 68 on Sunday. She sat in 42nd place after 18 holes but her six birdies on Sunday helped her move all the way into a tie for 14th place.
Etxezarreta finished with eight birdies over the three rounds.

UP NEXT
The Blue Hens have earned the CAA's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and will find out its regional destination during the selection show on Wednesday, April 24. It will be aired at 2 p.m. on the Golf Channel. Regionals will be held May 6-8.

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