Image Credits: Chris Merce
Finishing second overall at the PSAC Championship, the West Chester University (WCU) Women’s Golf team had an impressive spring season and are eager to build on that success in the upcoming season.
The team improved by 32 shots at the 2025 PSAC Championship, compared to last year’s PSAC Championship where the Golden Rams finished fifth overall. A key factor in this success came from the return of four out of five players in this 2025 PSAC lineup who had also played in the previous year’s championship.
A stand-out tournament of the 2025 spring season took place at Panther Battle at the Bay hosted by Adelphi University in Oceanside, New York. The team collectively shot a 305–the second lowest team score in program history.
Despite it only being his second year coaching at WCU, head coach Chris Merce has already made a significant impact on the program. Under Merce’s coaching, the team finished inside the top three in nine out of their 11 events during the spring season.
“I think the depth of our team is going to be a major strength for us and that was an area that was a weakness in previous years,” Merce said.
The depth of the team also contributes to the team chemistry.
“Our entire recruiting class is from out-of-state this year, and we have international players in our program for the first time, so it’s been exciting to bring those players into the program,” Merce said. “Our returners really embrace making them feel at home at West Chester.”
One of these returning players is junior Cierra Griffith from Pottstown, PA.
Griffith quickly became a standout performer her freshman year appearing in all 12 tournaments, registering five top-10s during the 2024 spring season and finishing 30th at the PSAC Championship with a 54-hole score of 264 (85, 89, 90).
Griffith’s sophomore year began with even higher expectations as she looked to build on her freshman year stats – and she did just that. The key player posted an 84.8 adjusted scoring average, had three individual top-ten finishes and finished sixth at the 2025 PSAC Championships with a 54-hole score of +27 (243). At this championship tournament, Griffith shot an 82 in the first and third rounds, with a 79 in the second round to help the team secure a second-place finish as top individual finisher.
“My overall scoring average improved from my freshman and sophomore year by three strokes; [it] was a huge goal of mine to decrease this number,” Griffith said.
At the end of every tournament, the players each put their stats, which consists of how many fairways they’ve hit, their greens and regulation as well as how many puts they’ve hit. Unlike other sports, the lower the number, the better in golf.
“Every once in a while, I’ll have a high round and then I’ll have a really low round, but my stats have been pretty consistent,” Griffith said.
While Griffith has shown consistent performance on the course, a key part of her leadership is building strong relationships with her teammates. She has especially made sure that the newcomers feel supported and included.
“I really like the new players who have come in,” Griffith said. “I can tell that we already have a great group and it is going to be a great year on and off the golf course”
One of the unique things about the sport and the program is that only a certain number of players can travel to compete at each tournament. With 12 players on the 2025-2026 roster, this makes the sport even more competitive and the stakes even higher for both individual players and the team as a whole.
“Our players know that it’s going to be really competitive every week to determine who will get to travel to the tournaments,” Merce said. “We’re looking for them to really push each other in qualifying to earn those spots on the travel roster.”
On Sept. 7 and 8, the team opened their fall season in Gettysburg at the WCU Battlefield Classic. Other teams that competed included Kutztown University, Adelphi University, Saint Anselm College, Thomas Jefferson University, Seton Hall University and Shepherd University. The Golden Rams secured a win with a 36-hole team score of 615 (307, 308). Freshman Cara Murphy from Massillon, Ohio was a key player in this first win of the season by ending both days with 75’s to finish at +6 (75, 75; 150). Murphy started her collegiate golf career by also winning the tournament’s individual champion title.
The team competed again on Sept. 15 and 16 at the Millersville Fall Classic at Berkleigh Golf Club in Kutztown, PA. The Golden Rams secured another win with a two-day score of 618, finishing the first day with a 313 and the second day with a 305. Murphy again led the team to success as the individual leader of the tournament +9 (77, 76; 153).
The team will be on the road again on Sept. 22 and Sept. 23 at King University at the Golf Club of Bristol, which is located in Bristol, TN. This is one of two new tournaments that were added to the program this year. The second new tournament will take place in Grand Rapids, MI on Oct. 11 and 12 at the Panther Invitational.
“The athletic department has been very supportive of our vision for our women’s team, and a big part of that is finding opportunities for us to challenge ourselves against good competition on good golf courses,” Merce said. “I’m looking forward to our players getting those experiences this season.”
The full schedule of events, roster and stats can be found on West Chester University’s athletic page or at 2025-26 Women’s Golf Schedule – West Chester University Athletics.
The team also posts live updates and standings at tournaments, which can be found on their Instagram page: @wcuramsgolf
Sarah Collins is a fourth year Communication Studies major with a minor in Journalism. SC998615@wcupa.edu