NSU Women's Golf Team Captures First-Ever SSC Championship

The No. 2 nationally ranked Nova Southeastern University women's golf team captured the 2008 Sunshine State Conference Women's Golf Championship for the first time in program history with a 10-stroke victory at the par-72, 5,994 yard Duran Golf Club in Viera, Fla. The tournament field featured five of the top six teams in the NCAA Division II.

Sharks freshman Sandra Changkija (Orlando, Fla.) fired a five-over-par 221 (69-76-76), to capture the overall individual title by three strokes ahead of Rollins' Joanna Coe Rollins (72-77-75=224) and Barry's Johanna Soderstrom (71-77-76=224).

NSU led the tourney from start to finish (288-299-313=900), with No. 3 Florida Southern (299-305-306=910), No. 1 Rollins College (304-302-309=915) and No. 4 Barry University (302-304-318=924) and No. 6 Lynn University (300-313-328=941) rounding out the top-five.

All five of NSU's golfers placed in the top-12, as Fredrika Hakansson (76-74-78=228), Maria Garcia Austt  (75-74-79=228) and Taylor Collins (71-75-82=228) each tied for seventh at +12, and Nicole Whitmore (73-76-80=229) placed 12th at +13.

The Sharks will now turn their attention to the NCAA Regionals, as they await their sixth straight NCAA postseason invitation.