Ela Simpson becomes the first female All-American golfer for AACC

Ela Simpson played three seasons of golf at Broadneck High and placed fourth among the girls at the Anne Arundel County Championships as a senior in 2021.

Simpson planned to continue her career at Anne Arundel Community College, but upon arrival discovered that the golf team was all male. After taking a year off, she was persuaded to join the team and ended up making history.

Simpson recently became the first female All-American golfer in Anne Arundel Community College history.

Simpson played basketball and lacrosse at AACC as a freshman. But a chance meeting with golf coach Dave O’Donnell prompted Simpson to return to the sport she truly loves as a sophomore.

“Earlier this year, I ran into Ela on campus and told her I was the golf coach. Ela said she played golf, so I asked her to join the team,” O’Donnell said. “Ela was all for it and said, ‘Let’s do this.’ I feel lucky that I found her.”

Anne Arundel’s golf team consists of nine men and two women, so Simpson played primarily as an individual during regular-season meetings and tournaments. She was forced to play with the rest of the team in men’s T-shirts.

“Ela had a great season and was a little bit overshadowed by the fact that we had such a strong team,” O’Donnell said. “I would say as an individual she was in the upper mid-half of most tournaments. She was shooting in the low 90s and mid-80s the entire season.

O’Donnell saw enough to know Simpson could do well in the postseason tournaments when she competed exclusively against women and he was perfect.

The Annapolis native placed seventh at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III national championships, held June 4-7 at Chautauqua Golf Club in upstate New York.

“I think the biggest thing for Ela was that she got to play with some of the favorites in the early rounds and realized that she belonged at that level, so her confidence went up as a result of that,” O’Donnell said. “Ela went out there and showed what she’s made of and performed really well all week.”

Simpson completed the four-day, 72-hole tournament with a total score of 371. She shot an 85 on the par-72 course in the opening round and a 92 in the third round, earning the team’s second All-American honors.

“Being a solo (competitor) at a national championship was a different experience. It’s strictly a one-woman show,” Simpson said. “I just played my game of golf and tried to be as smart as I could. I’m happy with the way I finished.”

Simpson qualified for the national tournament by capturing the Division III Region XX women’s championship. She demolished the field at the Links at Spring Church in Apollo, Pennsylvania, finishing 24 strokes ahead of the runner-up.

Simpson was a member of Anne Arundel’s 2023 national championship team in lacrosse and the 2022 Region XX championship team in soccer. O’Donnell, a Baltimore native in his third season as coach, is glad to be back in golf.

“Golf is a true passion for Ela and she realized it was the sport she enjoyed most,” O’Donnell said. “Ela is always a pleasure to be with on the golf course and has an incredible attitude.”

Simpson played from the men’s tees during the regular season and routinely drove the ball 200 to 230 yards. O’Donnell knew that power would be a huge advantage when she moved up to the women’s tees for regional and national tournaments.

“Ela’s length off the tee really sets her apart, but she has a really good all-around game. She has incredible distance control on approach shots and her short game is above average,” he said. “I think her best skill on the golf course is staying positive and not letting one shot deter her. She’s able to bounce back from bad shots and not make the mistakes that lead to big numbers.”

Simpson said she had no expectations entering the spring golf season and agreed with O’Donnell that mastering the mental game was the key to postseason success. She has been recruited to play golf at Stevenson University and acknowledged that the All-American recognition brought tremendous exposure.

Lacrosse All-Americans

AACC had three lacrosse players named All-Americans by the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Sophomore midfielder Sam Barrett represented the men’s lacrosse program as a second-team All-American. The Crofton native and South River graduate led the Riverhawks with 48 points on 35 goals and 13 assists. He scored multiple points in 10 of 11 games and collected nine points in two games.

Barrett, who finished his two-year career at AACC with 81 points, has been recruited to play at Division II Newberry College.

AACC men’s lacrosse had four other players named All-Region XX. Barrett was a first-team selection, while sophomore forward John McElhenny, freshman midfielder Trevor Murray and freshman goalie Parrish Fleming all made the second team. Sophomore defenseman Jack Schiavone was an honorable mention.

McElhenny (South River High) scored 40 points on 29 goals, Murray (Edgewater resident) was one of the area’s top faceoff specialists with 85 wins in 178 attempts, Fleming (AACS) recorded 147 saves and a .480 save percentage, while Schiavone (South) led the team with 24 forced turnovers.

On the women’s side, freshman midfielders Grace Adkins and Ashlynn Deans both earned All-American laurels. Adkins, a Westminster resident and Winters Mill graduate, led Anne Arundel with 25 points on 22 goals. Deans, a Harwood native and Southern High alum, was right behind with 24 points on 22 goals.

Baseball honor

Anne Arundel’s baseball team had four players named All-Region XX: sophomore second baseman John Greenawalt, freshman outfielder-pitcher Sam Ross, freshman infielder-pitcher Nicco Holland and sophomore utilityman Alejandro Casanova.

Greenawalt, a product of Arundel High, earned first team honors after leading the Riverhawks with a .450 batting average and an on-base percentage of .516. The Odenton native had a hit in 43 of 53 games and was second on the team with 34 RBIs.

Ross, a Crofton graduate, was a second-team selection after starting all 53 games in the outfield and making 17 relief appearances on the mound. The Gambrills native led Region XX and ranked fourth nationally with 48 stolen bases. He also led the region with nine saves and posted a 2.48 ERA coming out of the bullpen.

Holland (Mount St. Joseph) was also selected to the second team after leading the Riverhawks in home runs (6), walks (41) and hits by pitch (13) en route to a .466 on-base percentage.

Casanova hit .320 and led AACC with 11 doubles while splitting his time between outfield, first base and designated hitter. The Annapolis native had 11 multi-hit games and drove in 20 runs.

Anne Arundel baseball finished with a 28-25 record under fourth-year coach Nick Hoffner, the most wins for the Riverhawks since 2012.

Softball Honors

Anne Arundel softball had three players named All-Region XX: sophomore designated hitter Kendall Thomas, sophomore outfielder Jayden Buchanan and freshman outfielder Addi Hurst.

Thomas was a repeat first-team selection after leading AACC with a .473 batting average and .500 on-base percentage. The Chesapeake High product yielded 26 RBIs and struck out just twice in 91 at-bats. She made 19 starts as a pitcher and recorded five wins with 50 strikeouts.

Hurst was a second-team pick after posting a .434 batting average and leading Anne Arundel with 12 extra base hits. The Broadneck High grad posted a .495 on-base percentage and four stolen bases.

Buchanan earned honorable mention after hitting .362 with seven doubles and 18 RBIs. The Chesapeake High alum had 54 hits in 56 career games over two seasons.