VOORHEESVILLE, N.Y. – The Cortland women's golf team, led by tournament medalist Danielle Bambola (Miller Place), successfully defended its league title at the Northeast Women's Golf Conference (NWGC) Championship Sunday at the Colonie Country Club. 
 
Cortland finished with a team score of 360, 21 strokes better than runner-up Suffolk University (381). Nazareth was third with a 404, followed by St. John Fisher (405), Utica (409) and Husson (437). 
 
Cortland previously won the NWGC title in the fall of 2019. This season's league tournament was moved to the spring and was reduced from a two-day to a one-day event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Red Dragons have now claimed four straight league title – they were Empire 8 champions in 2017 and 2018 before that league disbanded, with its members now part of the NWGC. 
  
Bambola and sophomore Alivia Waldron (Plattsburgh/Saranac) earned all-conference honors with top-seven finishes. Bambola repeated as the tournament's top golfer with a four-over par 77, while Waldron tied for sixth place with a 93. A total of 28 golfers competed. 
 
 Junior Amanda Gaffney (Williamsville/Williamsville East) just missed earning all-league recognition, tying for ninth place with a 94. Freshman Rachel Curatolo (Poughkeepsie/Spackenkill) finished 11th with a 96 and freshman Kira Graves (Manlius/Fayetteville-Manlius) tied for 24th with a 117.

Bambola registered an even par 36 on the front nine, including birdies on the par-5 third and sixth holes. After a bogey on 10 and a triple bogey on 11, Bambola was even over the final seven holes. She picked up her third birdie of the day on the par-5 13th hole. 
 
Waldron finished a 46 on the front and a 47 on the back and registered three pars during the afternoon. Gaffney had a 48 on the front and a 46 on the back and parred four holes, while Curatolo notched a 48 on each side and finished the day with five pars. 
 
Cortland will face Suffolk next Saturday, May 1, at The Edison Club in Rexford, N.Y. 
 
NORTHEAST WOMEN'S GOLF CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP (April 25, 2021)

Full Results

FINAL TEAM SCORES:

Place, School              Score
1) Cortland                   360 
2) Suffolk                      381 
3) Nazareth                  404 
4) St. John Fisher        405 
5) Utica                        409 
6) Husson                    437 
 
INDIVIDUAL SCORES (TOP 7, PLUS OTHER CORTLAND)
(top 7 are all-conference)

Place, Name (School)                            Score
1) Danielle Bambola (Cortland)                77 
2) Emily Schultz (St. John Fisher)            87 
3) Abby Ainsworth (Utica)                         89 
4) Ellie Yarbrough (Suffolk)                       90 
5) Isabel Smith (Suffolk)                            91 
T6) Alivia Waldron (Cortland)                    93 
T6) Nicole Antonucci (Suffolk)                   93 
T6) Katie Goulet (Husson)                         93 
 
T9) Amanda Gaffney (Cortland)                94 
11) Rachel Curatolo (Cortland)                 96 
T24) Kira Graves (Cortland)                    117 
 
(28 golfers competed)