The no. 5 Washington and Lee University women’s golf team is primed for another successful spring season after placing thirteenth overall in the NCAA National Championship last year.
Four of the women golfers are individually ranked within the top 50 nationally on Golfstat. Senior co-captain Megan Kanaby, ’23, sits at 25th with sophomore Laetitia Roegner, ’25, not far behind in 27th. Two other sophomores, An Tran Shelmire, ’25 (ranked 38th), and Marcella Mercer, ’25 (ranked 48th), round out the players in the top 50 for Washington and Lee.
The Generals opened their season with a third-place finish in the Savannah Invitational, packed with 18 teams, with two-day scores of 310-313. Kanaby placed eighth overall in a field of 95 golfers with a score card of 77-74 – 151 (+7). Her strong finish earned her the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week honors last week.
Mercer and Julia Haetzel, ’26, had identical score cards of 77-79 –156 (+12) which tied them for 20th. Mercer shot the only eagle in the tournament on a 451-yard hole five with par 5 setup.
Shelmire said a healthy balance of having a good time with a competitive mindset helps the Generals stand out.
“I think our team dynamic is so different from every other DIII team we compete against,” Shelmire said. “When we’re at a tournament, we’re the loudest, we laugh the most, we have the greatest time, and then we go out and shoot incredibly low rounds.”
Both the women’s and men’s golf teams spent a week in February together in Ireland for the W&L Alumni Open. This provided ample time for the golfers to bond with their teammates. They played five rounds of 18 holes each. The women said that amount of play gave them an advantage going into their first spring tournaments.
“We normally never get to play that much golf in a week due to classes and other activities, so we were able to knock off a lot of dust with our time in Ireland,” Mercer said.
The team looks to continue improving its ranking and perform at a high level in both the ODAC and NCAA tournaments.
“We have a very talented team and the ability to play really well, so I am excited to see where that brings us by the end of the season,” Mercer said.
The Generals will compete next at the Jekyll Island Collegiate Invite March 17-19 at the Indian Mound Golf Club.