Hilton Head Island, S.C. – Western Carolina women's golf capped a historic 2022-23 season with its eighth podium finish of the campaign, coming home third at the 2023 Southern Conference Women's Golf Championship that concluded Tuesday at Moss Creek Golf Club's par-72, 6,036-yard South course.
 
Paced by fifth-year senior Madison Isaacson in fourth-place overall, the Catamounts put two golfers inside the individual Top 10 in posting a 54-hole score of 926 and recorded the program's best team finish since winning the event back in 2007.
 
WCU's third-place showing this year marked the program's fifth podium finish at the conference championship all-time. Isaacson's fourth-place finish was also the best for a Catamount women's golfer since Kim Mitchell finished in a tie for fourth back in the 2015 tournament.
 
Opening the final round in the runner-up spot, Isaacson battled through a final round 80, sliding two spots in the standings. The Greensboro, N.C., product carded her team-best seventh birdie of the tournament on Tuesday, finishing at 7-over par 223, her best 54-hole score at the conference champion-crowning event.
 
True freshman Brie Mapanao came home in a four-way tie for 10th overall with a three-day score of 233 including a final-round 79. The Australia native finished tied for third in the tournament field with a team-best 35 pars over the 54-hole event including 12 on Tuesday, shooting even over nine of her final 10 holes of the tournament.
 
Sophomore Elizabeth Lohbauer slipped eight spots into a four-way tie for 14th overall at 234 with a final round 82. Rounding out WCU's scoring five were senior Victoria Ladd in a tie for 26th at 238 and sophomore Kaitlyn Wingnean up one position into a tie for 31st at 241. Wingnean charted a team-best two birdies on Tuesday, finishing her final four holes of the day at 2-under par.
 
As a team, the Catamounts finished second in the tournament field with 157 total pars and posted 20 total birdies, fifth overall.
 
Furman shot a 16-over-par 304 in Tuesday's final round to move 19 strokes clear of Mercer and claim the team title at the 2023 SoCon Women's Golf Championship and earn the SoCon's automatic berth to the NCAA regionals. Paladin senior Anna Morgan was the only player to finish under par for the tournament, claiming the individual medalist honors at 2-under 214.
 
The Paladins led throughout the tournament en route to their 20th SoCon title. Morgan sat atop the individual leaderboard all tournament and her performance was the lowest score by any SoCon golfer during a championship played at Moss Creek Golf Club.
 
Mercer was the tournament runner-up with a three-round score of 913 with WCU in third place at 926 overall. ETSU was eight strokes behind the Catamounts with a score of 934, a stroke ahead of fifth-place Wofford (935). Samford finished sixth with a score of 949 with Chattanooga (951), UNCG (956), and The Citadel (1,035) rounding out the tournament field.
 
Tuesday's conference championship event concludes the schedule for the 2022-23 Catamount women's golf team. Among Western Carolina's eight podium finishes this season were four team victories including three in the fall, two runner-up showings, and a pair of third-place tallies.

The Southern Conference postseason awards will be released next Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount women's golf and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountWGolf).
 
2023 SoCon Women's Golf Championship
Final Results
1 – Furman – 297 – 293 – 304 = 894 (+30)
2 – Mercer – 307 – 298 – 308 = 913 (+49)
3 – Western Carolina – 301 – 305 – 320 = 926 (+62)
4 – ETSU – 307 – 307 – 320 = 934 (+70)
5 – Wofford – 311 – 313 – 311 = 935 (+71)
6 – Samford – 313 – 317 – 319 = 949 (+85)
7 – Chattanooga – 318 – 324 – 309 = 951 (+87)
8 – UNCG – 316 – 325 – 315 = 956 (+92)
9 – The Citadel – 351 – 343 – 341 = 1,035 (+171)
 
2 – Western Carolina – 301 - 305 - 320 = 926 (+62)
4 – Madison Isaacson – 71 – 72 – 80 = 223 (+7)
T10 – Brie Mapanao – 78 – 76 – 79 = 233 (+17)
T14 – Elizabeth Lohbauer – 74 – 78 – 82 = 234 (+18)
T26 – Victoria Ladd – 78 – 79 – 81 = 238 (+22)
T31 – Kaitlyn Wingnean – 79 – 82 – 80 = 241 (+25)