Hershey, Pa. - Every single shot mattered. Every putt, every up-and-down, every sand save. Just one stroke was the difference in the Millersville women's golf team winning the 2015 PSAC Championship over defending champion California (Pa.) Sunday at Hershey Country Club East Course.

Millersville was the ultimate upstart, having just six seasons of women's golf history and a previous best finish of seventh in the nine team field. But the 2015 Marauders captured the first conference championship in program history with a 632 total, edging California's 633. California had won five of the previous seven championships. Sophomore Shannon Weber scored medalist honors by following a tournament and career-best 73 with a second round-best 75. One shot was again the difference as she finished at 6-over and Gannon's Diana Munoz shot a 7-over.   

"I never thought it would happen this quickly," said head coach Scott Vandegrift, who has coached both the men and women's programs for the last six seasons. "When you don't have a program, you have to take the time to put the pieces together. It all started with Amber Rohrer. Piece by piece we put it together. When Jaimie Wharton came on board, I knew we were on an accelerated pace."

When Weber sank her par putt on her 18th hole, no one knew how close the final score would be. The Marauders entered the day with a five-shot lead on the Vulcans but had battled through a mix of sporadic rain, heavy winds and sunshine. The Marauders huddled around the leaderboard, and when the 79 of Cal's Cara Vanderham was posted, the Marauders finally knew that the championship was theirs.

"It was all said before we started, that this was going to be very close," said Vandegrift. "We just said to stick to the fundamentals we've been working on at the range for the last two months and to stick to the plan. They did."
Freshman Danielle Greene performed steadily in the championship environment, shooting a final round 80, matching the score of her California playing partner Carla Maestre. Greene finished tied for sixth at 16-over-par.

The key for the Marauders could very well have been the play of junior Danielle Freed, who carded a career-best score of 20-over after shooting 80-82. The third Marauder to finish, Freed scrambled with a long, difficult, downhill pitch and a 15-foot putt on her final hole. Little did anyone know how crucial that up-and-down would prove.

"With Shannon, Jaimie and Danielle we have maybe the best 1-2-3 punch in the PSAC," said Vandegrift. "But the girl that has elevated her game more than any other in the last year is Danielle Freed. That fourth score was the only thing that was going to keep us from this, and Danielle had the tournament of her life. The top three played how we thought they would, but Danielle put us over the top."

The win was especially sweet for senior captain Jaimie Wharton. When she arrived at Millersville in 2011, the Marauders had just four golfers on the roster and rarely posted a team score in her first two seasons.  Wharton shot back-to-back 82's and tied for 15th.

Jennifer Gentry was also in the lineup for the Marauders, finishing in a tie for 30th. Seniors Kendal Olear and Cara Geiger, who arrived with Wharton in 2011 and helped build the foundation for the championship followed their teammates each of the 36 holes.

"The reason they won is because they are a team," said Vandegrift. "They practice as a team, the root for each other as a team. And now they get to have the joy as a team. No matter the sport, you can't win with a group of individuals. This is the epitome of a team in golf right here."

Weber's first-place finish was the seventh of her career and the lowest 36-hole total ever at Millersville. She went out with a 1-over score on the first nine, recording a pair of birdies. She added one more birdie on her second nine.

Vandegrift now has six PSAC Championships on his resume, including five with the men's program. Volunteer assistant coach Amy Kreider played an important role in the championship as Vandegrift divided his time across two nines, coaching the men and women.

While there is no automatic qualifying berth to the NCAA Regional in women's golf, Millersville certainly improved its chances of being selected for the spring postseason.