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Daytona Beach, Fla. – The Long Island University women's golf team heads to LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla. this weekend for the Northeast Conference Women's Golf Championship. Fairleigh Dickinson is the defending champion for the 54 hole event, which will take the four lowest scores of each day and compile them for a team total.

 

Last year, LIU took second overall after Natalie Desjardins claimed the number one spot in the tournament. This year, the Blackbirds have been led by three-time NEC Golfer of the Week Anna Palsson. The junior, who hasn't been a stranger to top 15 finishes during her career, picked up her first-ever tournament win at the MU Hawk Invitational on April 2. Palsson also grabbed second place at the Lonnie Barton Invitational, hosted by LIU in Savannah, Georgia.

 

Palsson is supported by a trio of strong talent on the LIU roster, including freshman Lizzie Stephens, who showed major promise in her rookie campaign. Stephens burst onto the scene at the Towson Women's Invitational in the fall, finishing as the first Blackbird, in a tie for 13^th place.

 

Junior Julia Rappa and sophomore Linnea Leijonklo have both had a number of strong performances for Long Island during the spring campaign. Rappa carded a tie for her career-best round of 82 at the Towson Women's Invitational back in the fall, while finishing in 20^th at the Longwood/Tina Barrett Invitational, also a tie for a career best. Leijonklo shattered her previous career bests this season, knocking a 78 at the Lonnie Barton Invitational, down from an 84. The sophomore was also 4^th at the MU Hawk Invitational, a best by six places.