COSTA MESA, CA – A four-foot putt and a dream realized.
 
Senior Emily Chang capped her decorated career as a Sagehen by leading her team to victory in the SCIAC Championship. The team title would be Pomona-Pitzer's third in four years, in all of which Chang played a vital role, but the ultimate prize was to complete the circuit as a team leader and captain. And for it all to come with an individual victory, says Chang, was like "a fairytale in real life." Four years of dedication to the betterment of the program and a lifetime pursuit of a journey in competitive golf led to this moment: Chang, standing over a knee knocker at the last, to cement the team title and secure an individual victory. Right as the putt fell in, Emily fell to her knees, reminiscent of Rory McIlroy just weeks prior at the Masters. This rush of emotion was well suited for a momentous occasion.
 
As a team, this win was a long time coming. Countless podium finishes and the narrow defeat to CMS at SCIAC #2 surely left a bad taste in their mouth as they competed for the ultimate prize. This hunger fueled them to a statement, 13-stroke victory over rivals CMS, providing that extra spark heading into the National Championship. 
 
The setup at Costa Mesa proved difficult for the competitors, but Hens were up around the top of the leaderboard all week. Sophomores Rachel LeMay and Malia Loo came out of the gate with a 1-2 punch - LeMay packed on four birdies in the early going, and Loo added an eagle to stand in first and second, at -4 and -2, after the first nine. Coming in, they played steady golf to end the day in second and third, and -3 and -2, respectively. Birdies were plentiful for LeMay on the week, as she added 11 over the three days, with 6 coming in her brilliant first round 68. She followed that up with two steady rounds of 74 and 71 to take bronze at even-par. Loo's powerful game helped her to the most eagles on the week, but a few too many bogeys on day three placed her just outside of the top 10, at T12.
 
Junior Federica Domecq Lacroze attacked the course with unwavering tenacity this week. The long-hitting Spaniard scrambled her way to 35 pars and responded to every challenge she faced. An early double bogey on day three stood to unravel a positive finish, but her subsequent three birdies showed she could meet the moment. She will add another top 5 to the books. Eunice Yi rounded out the lineup for the Hens. She was steady on days 2 and 3, providing an important counting score when others went wayward. She totaled 6 birdies for the week and finished in 14th.
 
Team Result
1st Place 284-285-286 (+3)
Individual Results
1 Emily Chang 73-68-70 (-2)
3 Rachel LeMay 68-74-71 (E)
T5 Federica Domecq Lacroze 74-71-71 (+3)
T12 Malia Loo 69-74-79 (+8)
T14 Eunice Yi 78-72-74 (+11)