SOUTHPORT, N.C. – As Apple Ngamwong made her way off the green after rolling in the final putt of her Elon University women's golf career Sunday in the final round of the CAA Championship, she was greeted by her teammates who had a special delivery for her – a bouquet of flowers. 

The flowers are an Elon tradition to celebrate seniors when they complete their college golf careers at the event. Upon receiving her parting gift, Ngamwong basked in the moment, sharing hugs, smiles and a few tears with five of her teammates. 

"Everyone on the team was there. I felt really appreciated," Ngamwong said. "They're all supportive. It was really nice to have that feeling."

Ngamwong was not the only member of the Phoenix to receive flowers Sunday. For two other members of the Elon University women's golf team, Sunday's final round at the CAA Championship also served as their final walk donning the maroon and gold. 

While graduate student Annabelle Ackroyd navigated the challenging Reserve Club at St. James on Sunday, the notion of finality equally weighed on her mind. Although she couldn't escape the reality that this was her final round of college golf, she made an effort to savor the day. 

"It was hard not to think about it," Ackroyd said. "I just tried to have fun and enjoy it and enjoy the experience."

Senior Lotte Fox also wanted to enjoy her final round of college golf but focused most of her energy on improving her performance from the previous two days. With her parents walking all 18 holes with her, Fox shot her lowest score of the week. However, in the closing moments of her round, Fox finally began to anticipate the flowers awaiting her at the 18th green. 

"It kind of hit me the last few minutes of playing," Fox recalled. "That's what really set it up for the fact that, wow, we're done. It's crazy."
 
Ackroyd, Ngamwong and Fox have all had decorated careers with the Phoenix. The group has been part of five team titles in the last three seasons, including back-to-back wins this spring. Additionally, all three have enjoyed success and notable achievements as individuals. 

Ngamwong has two individual victories to her name. The first came at the 2021 Chris Banister Golf Classic with the second coming at the 2023 RiverTowne Invitational. She was also selected to the 2020-21 All-CAA First Team and was Elon's team MVP for the 2021 season. 

After joining the Phoenix as a junior in 2021, Ackroyd had the most productive season of her college golf career a year ago. She was named to the 2022-23 All-CAA First Team, was tabbed as the team's MVP and posted a top-five result at the CAA Championship to make the All-Tournament team. 

Fox has been a steady contributor for the Phoenix in all of her four seasons with the team. She is also a former team MVP, earning the honor for the 2021-22 campaign. Fox appeared in 31 tournaments for the Phoenix and helped Elon to a third-place finish at last year's CAA Championship by tying for eighth. 

During Sunday's final round, Fox was Elon's first player to tee off and finish. After receiving her flowers from teammate Andrea Asmundsdottir, she was able to help present the bouquet to each of her other departing teammates, which were moments she will cherish long beyond Elon. 

"The three of us spent a lot of time together," Fox said. "To have this moment together is very bittersweet but it's also very special." 

Ackroyd echoed how impactful receiving her flowers was and admitted there were no dry eyes as she embraced her teammates for the final time on the 18th green. 

"It was really emotional. I'm definitely a cry baby and once everybody was crying, it was really special," Ackroyd said. 
 
Although their careers playing for the Phoenix are now finished, the legacy of all three players will be felt by the program long into the future, just as the program has already left a lasting mark on all three of them. 

"It's a lovely team," Ngamwong said. "It's kind of sad that we've got to leave but we'll keep in touch." 

"It's just been the best three years for me [that] I could've ever asked for," Ackroyd added. "I wouldn't have wanted to do it with anybody else other than these two." 
 

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'Rising Phoenix' is a new student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on Twitter (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Jacob Kisamore at jkisamore@elon.edu.

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