TOWSON, Md. – First-year Towson University women's golf head coach Shannon Briggs is excited about the Tigers 2019-20 season. In addition to returning six golfers, the Tigers have three talented newcomers poised to make an impact.
 
Towson begins its fall campaign at the Bucknell Invitational on Saturday, September 14. The 54-hole event at the Bucknell Golf Club will conclude on Sunday, September 15. The Tigers will compete on a par-70 5,921-yard course.
 
Towson will be challenged by a field that includes Navy, Youngstown State, Richmond, Towson, Lehigh, Wagner, St. Francis, La Salle and Hampton.
 
"It has been an absolute pleasure being welcomed by the team and supportive administrative athletic faculty at Towson," Briggs said. "This cohesion will ensure we align with the success of the department as a whole fostering student athlete experience as a top priority of building continued greatness. I am very fortunate to assist these young ladies in flourishing this season. There is a lot of talent on this team.  My main focus is sustaining success throughout the season, having small gains and building momentum throughout the fall semester."
 
Leading the returnees will be sophomore Jordan Cornelius, who became the first women's golfer in program history to earn All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) accolades after finishing third at last year's championship. She followed that effort up with a strong summer in finishing as the low amateur after a nine-hole playoff at the Maryland Open and second overall at the Maryland State Golf Association (MSGA) Amateur Championship.
 
Seniors Erica Han and Jospehine Jung are experienced and have had plenty of bright moments during their careers. Han has finished in the top 20 of the CAA Championships in two consecutive years.  As a sophomore, Jung helped Towson shoot a program record 871 at the Pinehurst Challenge.
 
Junior Sarah Perine competed in nine events and finished with a 78.7 average over 23 rounds last season. Sophomore Julia Calomiris competed in nine events and finished with a 78 average over 23 rounds. She shot a collegiate career low of 73 at the Lady Blue Hen Invitational. Sophomore Jayla Kang was Towson's highest individual finisher at the Towson Invitational where she shot a collegiate career low of 72 in the second round.
 
"The welcome I have received from the entire team has been evident from day one feeling the natural positive chemistry surrounding this team," Briggs said. "Communication and positive encouragement are key aspects of my coaching style. Consistent and necessary affirmations of encouragement will ensure our long-term success. A fostered confidence within the team will create a competitive yet supportive environment. Establishing ownership and key leaders early in qualifying will be the basis of cohesiveness and establishing a trusting nucleus."
 
Adding to that nucleus will be freshmen Maddy Barber, Madeline Catalano and Emma Cox. Briggs is excited about their potential.
 
"The freshmen have been very receptive and excited to compete," Briggs said. "It can seem like a big adjustment from junior golf tournament play to collegiate competition.  The biggest piece we have discussed thus far is the importance of preparation and seeing the week ahead.  Anticipation and awareness will ready the freshmen well ahead of our competitions.  Understanding their own day to day is pivotal to improving throughout the season.  We have communicated about the importance of nutrition and rest – meaning when it's optimal to dedicate practice time to work on full swing and when it's best to conserve energy and focus on short game. 
 
"These individual approaches will keep energy levels sustainable and allow for optimal performance when it counts.  My goal is to create a consistent practice environment. One that allows them to challenge themselves, ask questions and permits them to experiment and be creative with their own game, utilizing base level performance measuring tools early this fall."
 
This will be the first of three consecutive weekends that the Tigers will compete. They will return to Pennsylvania next weekend to participate in the Nittany Lion Invitational at the famed PSU Blue Course on Saturday, Sept. 21 and Sunday, Sept. 22.
 
Towson finishes September and begins October by competing in the Starmount Fall Classic hosted by UNC-Greensboro. That event will take place on Sunday, Sept. 30 and Monday, Oct. 1. Towson played in this tournament in 2018.
 
As usual, the five-match fall slate is highlighted by the annual Towson Invitational. However, it will take place in October this year instead of September as in years past. It will also be the Tigers fourth event of the fall instead of their opening tournament.
 
The Towson Invitational will take place on Monday, Oct. 14 and Tuesday, Oct. 15. Towson concludes the fall by competing in the Idle Hour Collegiate Championships hosted by Mercer College on Nov. 5-6.
 
"The general feeling is positivity and it being fueled by your teammates are crucial for team success and cohesiveness," Briggs said. "We have established and set team, individual goals and benchmarks for reference.  It's vital to communicate where we want to go and it's important to decipher where individual goals meet team success and coaches' expectations. 
 
"Having a healthy equation for team success begins in the classroom, being prepared, and readily available for change demands adaptability. Dealing with a variety of demands - the expectation of being well organized and prepared will ensure we meet our targets.  To highlight success the details must be executed properly, we both have rolls as coach and player.  I can confidently say my expectations for the team's success align to that of their own which will make for a fun, rewarding season for us as a unit."

TIGERS IN THE COMMUNITY
The Towson University athletics department deems community service as one of its highest priorities to give back to the Greater Baltimore area.
 
For the seventh consecutive year, the department exceeded 10,000 hours of community service to the Greater Baltimore region, finishing with 11,162 hours of community service in the 2018-19 academic season.
   
Towson ranked #1 nationally for community service and won the 2018 National Championship for Community Service through the Helper Helper NCAA Team Works Competition.
 
Towson had a 97% participation rate, attended 118 community service opportunities and volunteered with 19 organizations.
 
Towson won the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award from Susan G. Komen of Maryland.