Women’s golf, softball ready to host FIU’s first Conference USA tournaments


Golf + Softball

Meghan MacLaren (left) and Stephanie Texeira (right) have played key roles this season for women’s golf and softball.

By Joel Delgado ’12 MS ’17 

For the first time since joining Conference USA in 2013, FIU will serve as the host institution for not one, but two conference championships this spring.

The women’s golf team will host this year’s conference championship on April 20-22 in Fort Myers at the Old Orange Course at Verandah. A few weeks later, the softball team will host the 2015 C-USA Softball Championship on campus at Felsberg Field at FIU Softball Stadium from May 7-9.

Both programs hope that having the tournament closer to home will help improve their chances to pick up conference championships.

“It’s good times for us,” women’s golf Head Coach Joe Vogel said. “We have an exceptional team both academically and on the course. So I’m hoping we can put together a good final run and bring home some good accomplishments for the university.”

Hosting both tournaments also helps raise the profile of both programs and showcase the university’s facilities.

Felsberg Field at FIU Softball Stadium underwent major renovations last year, including the addition of stadium-style seating behind home plate; a new press box on the ground level behind home plate; and standing room access on the first base side.

“It’s great for the university and a chance for our community to see our campus, our facilities and some great softball,” softball Head Coach Gator Rebhan said.

Softball has a record of 26-17 (7-8 in conference play), sitting in eighth place in CUSA as of April 9. The team has won six of their last eight games and is looking to pick up steam with a month left before the tournament.

“Our backs are against the wall,” Rebhan said. “We can’t have an ‘off’ weekend from here on out.”

FIU women’s golf – which ranks 56th in the nation as of April 8 according to Golfstat.com – is led by junior Meghan MacLaren, who has been named the C-USA Women’s Golfer of the Week a league-leading four times during the 2014-2015 season.

MacLaren was key in the Panthers’ last conference championship in 2013 as a freshman, when she became FIU’s first individual champion and helped the team capture the Sun Belt title.

Now the Panthers are aiming for a second conference title in three seasons.

“Anytime you can host a conference championship at home that gives a big advantage,” Vogel said. “It’s also a chance to serve your conference as well, and we want to be good hosts for our visiting teams.”

For more information on each of the conference tournaments, go to Conference USA’s Championship Central or FIUSports.com. 

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