Women's golf team crowned 2006 MIAA champs, Four golfers earn first-team All-MIAA honors, fifth is second-team All-MIAA

By virtue of a first-place finish today, the Olivet College women's golf team has been crowned the 2006 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) champions. Individually, senior Kristy Latimer (Battle Creek/Harper Creek) was named the MIAA Most Valuable Golfer. Joining her on the All-MIAA first-team are senior Stephanie Nicolai (Shelbyville/Wayland Union) and sophomores Trisha McKim (DeWitt) and Lindsay Pipkin (White Lake/Lakeland). Junior Amanda Sanders (Concord) earned second-team All-MIAA honors.

In the final MIAA standings, the Comets had 1,354 strokes, which were 50 ahead of runner-up Tri-State (Ind.) University. The rest of the top five were Albion (1,464); Saint Mary's (1,484) and Alma (1,552).

The last time Olivet won a MIAA championship in a women's sport was 1980 when the softball team shared the conference title with Calvin College. The last outright women's title for the Comets was the 1974 field hockey team.

Today, Olivet posted a 348 team score in the MIAA Tournament at the Bedford Valley County Club. The tournament was shortened to 18 holes after snow on the course cancelled Friday's round.

Pipkin and Sanders each needed 86 strokes to complete their round. Latimer and McKim fired a round of 88, while Nicolai carded a 92.

Senior Amanda London (Marshall) along with freshmen Katie Misko (Alma) and Megan Rimmel (Ithaca) played as individual scorers. Rimmel led the trio with an 88, followed by Misko (89) and London (104).