OLD ORCHARD BEACH, Maine — The University of Hartford holds a 17-stroke team lead, while the University of New England’s Abby Flanagan sits atop the individual leaderboard following Saturday’s opening round of the 2026 Conference of New England Women’s Golf Championship at Dunegrass Golf Club. Hosted by UNE, the two-day championship features seven teams competing on the par-72, 5,654-yard course.

Hartford posted a team score of 353, placing four golfers among the top seven. Lilly Sprister led the Hawks with an 87 (+15), tying for third, while Leah Petruzzi and Abby Crabtree each shot 88 (+16) to share fifth. Maris Branyan rounded out Hartford’s counting scores with a 90 (+18), good for seventh. UNE stands second at 370, followed by Suffolk (380), Gordon (400), Nichols (409), Roger Williams (436) and Endicott (467).

Flanagan carded a 77 (+5) to take a four-stroke individual lead over Suffolk’s Brooke Bugajewski, who finished with an 81 (+9). Suffolk’s Krisna Mahendran joined Sprister in a tie for third at 87. Emory Goodson gave the Rams a third golfer inside the top eight with a 91 (+19), while Gordon teammates Addyson Peterson and Myla Glaser each shot 92 (+20) to tie for ninth.

The championship concludes Sunday, October 11, with the final round at Dunegrass Golf Club. Hartford will look to protect its team advantage, while Flanagan enters the final 18 holes leading the race for individual medalist honors.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE OF NEW ENGLAND
Originally founded in 1984 as the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), and reconstituted as the Conference of New England (CNE) in 2024, the CNE is an NCAA Division III athletic conference composed of 11 full member and nine associate member institutions throughout the New England region. Its membership aims to provide student-athletes with a positive experience in their pursuit of excellence through high academic standards, quality competition and a meaningful student life. The Conference administers championships in 21 intercollegiate sports.