Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell's Lauren Bernard Wins Philadelphia Amateur Championship
7/17/2011 8:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
July 17, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Bucknell rising sophomore Lauren Bernard, the runner-up at the 2011 Big South Championship, added another major accomplishment to her portfolio this week when she captured the Women's Golf Association of Philadelphia Amateur Championship at Sunnybrook G.C. Bernard bested another young player, recent West Chester East High School graduate and Kansas recruit Gabriella DiMarco on the 38th hole of their match-play final.
The championship match was slated for 36 holes, but Bernard needed two extra holes to oust last year's PIAA runner-up and claim the Glenna Collett Vare Cup. In the semifinals, Bernard defeated Catherine Elliott, a former NCAA qualifier at Penn, 8 and 6. In the quarterfinals, she edged 2008 Pennsylvania state champion and current Maryland Terrapins standout Christine Shimel, 2 and 1.
Bernard capped off a terrific rookie year at Bucknell with an even-par 72 in the final round of the Big South Championship in April. She posted scores of 75-79-72 at the event, and she finished in second place, just one shot off the lead. It was the highest Big South finish ever for a Bison golfer. Bernard's performance earned her All-Big South honors, and it helped Bucknell to a best-ever third-place team finish.
Bernard also had a top-10 finish (T-8th) at the Rutgers Invitational last fall, and she finished her freshman year with a 79.9 scoring average.
