LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Five birdies for the round and back-to-back pars on holes 53 and 54 propelled Maria Beltran to the 2024 McLeod Trophy as the individual Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Champion. As a team, Fairfield University Women's Golf posted its best-ever 54-hole score at the MAAC Championship to share second place on the leaderboard.
 
Beltran shot even par on the weekend, fueled by two rounds of 71 on the par-72 Palm Golf Course in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. She is Fairfield's fourth individual MAAC Champion in program history and will be the first representative of Fairfield Women's Golf to ever compete at the NCAA Championship. Previously, Sarah Scatamacchia won the MAAC Championship in 1998 and 2000, and Allie Schick raised the trophy in 2003. Those three individual wins were prior to the MAAC gaining an AQ for its individual medalist.
 
Fairfield's record-setting score of 891 topped last year's record of 912 by 21 strokes. The Stags also carded their two lowest team rounds ever at the MAAC Championship, posting a 296 on Friday and topping that performance with a 292 today. The Stags shared second place on the ledger with Quinnipiac, three strokes behind MAAC team champion Albany.
 
Individually, Beltran is joined on the All-MAAC team by Julia Towne, who tied for fourth at +5 for the weekend, and Julia Rabadam in ninth place at +11.
 
Katelynn Waclawski made a late surge with a 73 on Sunday to climb 10 spots on the leaderboard to 11th place, and Sydney Nethercott finished in a tie for 16th in the 45-golfer field.
 
Beltran, as well as the MAAC Champion Great Danes, will learn their NCAA Championship Regional destination this Wednesday, April 24 at 2 p.m. when the field is announced live on the Golf Channel.