In just its second year of intercollegiate competition, the Emory women's golf program shot into the upper echelon of the sport, culminating in earning a spot in the NCAA D-III Championships. 

The accomplishment of playing at the national tourney was even more impressive when considering that the Eagles saw the second half of their initial campaign in the spring of 2020 cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Following that, the squad was idled when the university announced that there would be neither competition nor team-organized activities during the fall semester.  After finally being given clearance to compete, head coach Katie Futcher and her charges made the most of the opportunity, playing in a total of four tournaments.

Emory opened its campaign by tying for sixth place out of 16 teams at the 54-hole Jekyll Island Women's Collegiate Invitational (Mar. 19-21), concluding the event with a score of 977.  Freshman Rebecca Schiffman, one of three rookies who had a major impact on the team's fortunes during the year, paced the Eagles' contingent with a mark of 237 (79-76-82), good for eighth place out of 81 competitors.

Next up on the schedule was a trip to the Sunshine State and an appearance at the Golfweek Invitational (Apr. 2-4), played on the El Campeon Course at the Mission Inn Resort in Howie-in-the Hills, Florida. The team made a fine account of itself, registering a fourth-place finish with a three-round score of 971.  Freshman Mariana Chong finished as Emory's top performer while placing seventh out of 40 entries with an effort of 238 (79-80-79), totaling a team-high 29 pars and three birdies. For her effort at the Invitational, she was tabbed as UAA Women's Golfer of the Week, the first Emory player to earn that distinction. 

Following its showing at the Golfweek Invitational, Emory drew its first-ever national ranking when it was slotted in the No. 10 spot in the April 9, 2021, WGCA Top 25 D-III Poll.

Emory wound up the regular season by competing at the MCC Invitational in Montgomery, Alabama.  The Eagles claimed the No. 4 spot in the 10-team field with a 36-hole score of 610 (302-308), with the opening-round score representing a school record. Individually, Schiffman established a school record for low round when she carded a two-over par 74 on the first day of action, which was followed by another record-setting effort the following day when Chong fired a two-under par 70.  Chong ended up third overall on the 50-player lead board after posting a score of 145 (75-70), which helped her to another UAA Golfer of the Week honor.

Emory landed an at-large berth and was one of 25 programs that ventured to the Forest Akers Golf Course in East Lansing, Michigan to take part in the NCAA Championships. After finding itself in 18th place after the opening 18 holes, the Eagles moved up to the No. 14 post after 36 holes and then used a strong third-round charge, carding a 313 to jump into ninth place, assuring them of making the cut and playing in the final round of the tournament.  Emory shot a 317 on the last day of action, allowing it to move up two more positions on the leader board to post a seventh-place finish out of the 15 programs that played the final 18 holes.  Schiffman ranked as the Eagles' top scorer with her 314 (80-80-75-79), good for a 15th-place tie out of the 81 players who competed in the last round (131 started out).

Chong closed out a memorable campaign setting the pace for the Eagles in scoring with an average of 79.9 strokes over 12 rounds which spanned all four tournaments. A PING All-South Region honoree and member of the All-UAA Team, she distinguished herself in academically by capturing a spot on the WGCA All-Scholar Team.  

Schiffman placed second in scoring with an average of 80.3 strokes over 12 rounds. An all-league honoree, her third-round score of 75 at the NCAA Championships represented the team's top score at that tournament. In addition, she topped the team with a total of seven birdies at the NCAAs, tying for ninth overall in the field. Schiffman also was recognized as a WGCA All-Scholar honoree.

Sophomore Ksheera Jalakam averaged 80.5 strokes over 12 rounds of action  en route to All-UAA Team accolades.  A WGCA All-Scholar Team honoree, her top 18-hole score was a 77 during the opening round of the MCC Intercollegiate.  Jalakam placed second among the Emory players and 35th overall out of the 131 players who started out at the NCAA D-III Championships.

Freshman Jessica Lan was a regular member of the playing group and ended the year averaging 81.5 strokes over 12 rounds of action.  A member of the WGCA All-Scholar Team, her top 18-hole score was a three-over par 75 during the second round of the MCC Intercollegiate. She placed second among the Emory contingent and 10th overall out of 50 competitors at the MCC Intercollegiate with a 36-hole effort of 151 (76-75), ending the tourney with a field-high 25 pars.  Lan also tied with Schiffman for the team lead with 33 pars at the NCAA D-III Championships.

 Honors and Awards