TOWSON, Md. – They met during orientation in the summer of 2018 just weeks before entering Towson University. Nearly four years later, Julia Calomiris and Jordan Cornelius will play their final tournament together, leading the Tigers women's golf team into this weekend's Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship held at the Saint James Reserve Course in Southport, N.C.

Head coach Shannon Briggs announced the seniors will be her No. 1 and No. 2 players for the 54-hole tournament, which begins April 15 and concludes April 17. Entering the event, the duo rank second and third on the all-time program scoring list.

"A team effort on and off the course, Julia and Jordan have been impactful leaders," said Briggs, who took over after Calomiris and Cornelius finished their freshmen campaigns. "It's been great to see their composure and ability to start and finish rounds."

The two have been fixtures in the lineup since arriving on campus. They shared the school record at 4-under par 68, along with former teammate Alix Lowe, for lowest single round until current freshman Odette Font Garcia broke it last month with a 5-under 67.

Calomiris, who has made the travel roster for all 29 tournaments during her career, shot in the 70's in 12 of the 14 rounds during the fall of her freshman season. Cornelius was not in the lineup for three of the first six events that season, but beginning with a spring break trip to Hawaii in March 2019 developed into Towson's top player.

In the third round of the Anuenue Spring Break Classic, Cornelius tied the school record shooting 68. Two events later, she became the first Towson women's golfer to earn All-CAA honors after finishing in a third place tie at the league tournament, held at Saint James Reserve, with rounds of 73-76-76.

"I didn't start competitive golf until sophomore year of high school, so it was a great opportunity to come to Towson," Cornelius said. "I didn't play much the fall semester of our freshman year, so it is nice to know that Julia and I are in the record books."

Cornelius enters the CAA Championship with a 77.2 career scoring average trailing only Lowe (76.8), who played from 2015-19.

The pair blossomed as sophomores. In the six tournaments played during the 2019-20 season, one of the two was Towson's medalist five times. Cornelius shot in the 70's in 16 of 17 rounds, while Calomiris fired a then-career best 71 at Eagle's Nest Country Club to finish in second place at the Towson Invitational.

"It feels very weird that I will not be playing golf for Towson anymore," said Calomiris, who enters the CAA tournament with a 77.4 career scoring average. "Looking back and playing nearly 30 golf tournaments at 20 different courses, it is an experience I wouldn't change."

The COVID-19 pandemic eliminated all but one event during spring 2020 and canceled the entire 2020 fall schedule, meaning their junior seasons was limited to four spring tournaments in 2021. Cornelius was the top performer in the first two events, including a season-best 69 at the Kiawah Island Classic, while Calomiris won the Navy Invitational, beating 27 other golfers, and finished 15^th at the CAA Championship.

This season, the two are separated by just 10 strokes after nine tournaments and 27 rounds of play plus have been involved in several record-breaking performances.

On September 21, 2021, the Tigers broke the school record for lowest team round by shooting a 2-over par 290 during the final round of East Carolina's Pirate Collegiate Classic. Calomiris tied Cornelius with a career-best 68 during the round. Cornelius finished second overall in the tournament, shooting 1-over par 217 (72-71-74), while making 14 birdies.

Both records lasted less than four tournaments. On March 19, 2022, during the second round of the Red Rocks Invitational, Font Garcia's record round of 67 helped Towson break the team scoring record for a round as the top four performers shot a combined 2-under par 286.

"Sharing that record with Jordan was special and it is cool to know we are making history," added Calomiris. "To be able to hold a school record individually and be part of a team that broke two records in one year is something that might not have happened if we had gone to a bigger school."

During the summer months, both players have been staples in area amateur events. In 2020, Cornelius won the championship flight of the 99^th Maryland State Amateur Championship defeating AnPhi Le 3&2 at The Club at P.B. Dye in Ijamsville in the final match. The following year, Calomiris downed Cornelius 2&1 in the quarterfinals at nearby Elkridge Country Club.

"It is one of the best rounds of golf we both played," Calomiris said. "I think we were both three or four under par. It all started on the first hole. We were both on the green, but Jordan was very close to the hole. I conceded her putt then made my birdie."

"We kept making birdies on the same holes," Cornelius added. "It was such a good match."

"There was one hole when she birdied and I eagled," Calomiris continued. "She turned to her mom and said, 'I can't even win with a birdie.' It was such a fun day because we both played so well."

Both are on track to graduate next month. Calomiris, who entered her final semester with a 3.768 Grade Point Average (GPA), will earn a Mass Communication degree with dual tracks in Advertising and Strategic Public Relations. Cornelius (3.062 GPA) will graduate with a Business Administration degree with a Marketing concentration.

"It takes a lot of discipline to be a student-athlete and be ready to do classwork at any part of the day," said Cornelius said, who may apply to Towson's Marketing Intelligence Master's program for 2022-2023 and compete in a fifth year because of eligibility remaining due to the pandemic. "Our sport travels during both the fall and spring semesters, so we miss a lot of school. I really didn't want to do homework at 9 o'clock at night on a Monday in a random airport, but it had to be done."

After playing last year's league championship at Grandover Resort in Greensboro, the CAA returns to Saint James Reserve Course, a 5,998-yard Par 72 course, for the first time since 2019 when Cornelius and Calomiris were freshmen.  

"Knowing the course is a big advantage," Cornelius said. "There is a stretch of holes that are very tricky and we know how to play them. Passing that information down to the younger players will be key."

Font Garcia, sophomore Faith McIlvain and freshman Rayab Lee round out the lineup for this weekend's tournament.

Like Cornelius and Calomiris, Font Garcia has qualified for all nine events played this season. In addition to her record breaking 67, she shot in the 70's in 13 of the 15 rounds during the fall.

McIlvain has played in seven of the nine events this season. She shot a career-best 71 at the Red Rocks Invitational last month and has three rounds of 72.

Lee has earned a spot on the travel roster in seven of the nine previous tournaments. She shot a career-low 73 at the Nittany Lion Invitational in September.

"Our team's confidence is improving and the ladies have the opportunity for success at the CAA Championship," Briggs said. "Any one of our players have the talent and game to win. The mindset and preparation are where this will merge for the results we are after as a group."  

All eight teams have a practice round Thursday. The tournament begins at 8:30 Friday morning. Results can be found at www.golfstat.com.