2010 NCAA Eph Team Front Row (L to R): Victoria Student, Anne O'Leary and Becky Miller  Back Row: Mary Gelber and Kait O'Brien

About the Program

Since the program’s inaugural varsity season in the fall of 2004, women’s golf at Williams College has quickly become a top competitor in the northeast and nationally, winning two NESCAC Tournaments and earning a top ten finish in all three NCAA Championships.   

Though varsity play began in 2004, women’s golf began competitive play in the fall of 1998, when they competed in their first tournament at Middlebury College as a club team.  After only two short seasons under the leadership of Cathy Pohle the Ephs began their winning tradition, earning third place at Wellesley College’s Inaugural Tournament and building a foundation for a successful future to come.  

The evolution of the program continued in the 2006-2007 season as the Ephs finished second in the first two tournaments of their season.  More success followed as they went on to post an all-time team best score to capture the Columbus Day Tournament, winning their first NESCAC Tournament.  Their overall season performance earned the team a place in the NCAA Tournament, where women’s golf would represent Williams for the first time at the national level.  The season concluded with the team finishing in tenth place and Pohle receiving the East Region Coach of the Year honors for her commitment to and influence in the vision of the women’s golf program at Williams.  

The winning tradition carried on in the 2007-2008 season as the Ephs recorded their most successful season to date.  The team, led by Kris Herman and Fran Vandermeer, claimed top honors at Middlebury, Vassar, the Massachusetts State Championship, and the NESCAC Tournament for the second year in a row.  Additionally, women’s golf earned a place once again in the NCAA Tournament, finishing 8th overall.  

The 2010 season found the Ephs stepping it up yet another notch under rookie head coach Erika DeSanty with a seventh place finish at the NCAA Championships along with compiling a team-best single round of 314 and a team-best two-day total of 628 at home in the Williams Invitational at Taconic Golf Club.

In September of 2010 at the Mount Holyoke Invitational the Ephs posted their best team score in round one (304) and follwed that up with a 311 for their best two-round score in program history (615).

On October 9, 2010, in the first round of the Williams Fall Classic at Taconic Golf Club, freshman Alex Groetsema carded an even par round of 71 on the famed layout, marking the lowest round ever by an Eph woman. Groetsema's effort was both the lowest round ever recorded by an Eph woman and the first even par round. She was one under on the front (34) and one over on the back (37). Highlighting Groetsema's record round were the windy and tricky conditions in which the round was played. "Alex made a course that played incredibly difficult and nearly impossible for some look easy today," praised Eph head coach Erika DeSanty. "She hit shot after shot at her target and was so impressive to watch." On the day the next best round on the layout was an 82.

Record setters:  2010 Mount Holyoke Invite saw Ephs record 1st and 2nd best rounds in program history for a record total of 615 to win the tourney by 15 shots. (l. to r.) Emily Wickstrom, Alex Groetsema, Victoria Student, Georgiana Salant, and  Becky Miller.

At the Wellesley College Invitational October 16-17, 2010 freshman Alexandra Grostsema shot 72-73 for a 145 total (one over par) to register the best two-round score ever by an Eph woman. Groetsema's two rounds were played on the par-72, 5,860-yard Nehoiden Golf Course on the campus of Wellesley College.

Wall Street Journal gives Ephs a shout out for beating Div. I teams

Excellence at Williams is not only a tradition, but also an expectation and in the short history of women’s golf the program has become a part of this tradition, winning conference tournaments and competing well into the national tournament.  Still, the expectations remain high for the Ephs as they hope to expand on the foundation that has already been built, reinforcing the tradition of excellence at Williams.    

2007 NCAA Tournament Ephs (l. to r.):  Anne O’Leary ’10,  Allison
Khederian ’09, Kristin Nottebohm ’10,  Melissa Barton ’09 and
Laura Koplik ’09