Brooklyn, N.Y. – In a poll of the league's coaches, the Long Island University women's golf team was selected to finish third in the 2010 Northeast Conference Championship. The Blackbirds will look to improve upon their second place finish in last season's conference championship.

Led by senior captain and defending Northeast Conference Golfer of the Year Natalie Desjardins, LIU returns two all-conference performers from a year ago. Desjardins, the holder of eight career individual titles, finished second last season in the NEC Championship including a tournament-low 71 in the final round. Sophomore Anna Palsson took fifth last season after sporting rounds of 80-75-77.

Junior transfer Andrea Staudacher quickly developed into one of LIU's top players in the fall with an 83.8 scoring average including a 77 at the Rutgers Women's Invitational. Sophomore Julia Rappa has shaved five strokes off her scoring average from a year ago, lowering her 18-hole average to 87.75 this fall. Freshman Linnea Jonsson finished the fall campaign strong with a final round 79 at the Spider Invitational.

 

Long Island opens the season by hosting the Lonnie Barton Invitational in Savannah, Ga. The 2010 NEC Championships will be held at ChampionsGate Golf Club in ChampionsGate, FL from April 23-25. Team scores will be compiled by adding the team's four lowest scores from each day. The top-10 finishers will be designated all-NEC performers.