UTICA, NY - Utica University's women's golf team is set to close out its spring and 2025-26 season by competing in the Northeast Women's Golf Conference (NWGC) Championship. Action is slated for Sunday and Monday, April 19th and 20th, at Van Patten Golf Club in Clifton Park, NY.
Spring Start Summary: The women's golf team opened the spring portion of its 2026 schedule with a third-place finish at the Keuka College Spring Invitational, posting a team score of +132.
Claire Draper (Watertown, NY/Watertown) led the Pioneers with a third-place individual finish at +22, highlighted by multiple holes of par-or-better play, while
Paige Graves (Syracuse, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) (12th, +33),
Jordan Dorrity (Constableville, NY/South Lewis Central) (14th, +37), and
Emily Elwood (DeRuyter, NY/DeRuyter Central) (19th, +40) rounded out the scoring.
Sianna Kenyon (Ilion, NY/Central Valley Academy) made her collegiate debut, carding a +42 in her first appearance with the program.
The Pioneers followed that performance with an eighth-place finish at the Martin/Wallace Invitational, competing against a 10-team field at Cortland Country Club. Draper again paced Utica, finishing 30th with a two-day score of +55 and recording the team's only round below +30. Graves (37th), Dorrity (39th), and Elwood (41st) completed the lineup, as Utica improved its team score from day one to day two. For her efforts across both events, Draper was named the Northeast Women's Golf Conference Rookie of the Week, marking her third such honor of the season after earning the award twice during the fall.
The NWGC Championship: The orange and blue are set to close out their season at the Northeast Women's Golf Conference Spring Championship, hosted at Van Patten Golf Club. The two-day event will serve as the final leg of conference competition following the fall preview, where the Pioneers placed fourth as a team. Draper led Utica in that event with a seventh-place finish, while
Alaina Weaver (Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit Valley Central) and Graves each turned in top-15 performances, providing a foundation the orange and blue will look to build upon. With a full season of experience and recent spring action under their belts, the Pioneers will aim to improve their standing against the conference field in the championship setting.
Up Next: The NWGC event concludes the 2025-26 Utica women's golf season. Stay tuned to uticapioneers.com and Utica Athletics on social media for up-to-date information on the 2026-27 season!
