Redbirds Climb Late, Finish Eighth at MVC Championship

Image Courtesy of Redbird Athletics

SILVIS, Ill. — Illinois State women’s golf battled throughout the entire Missouri Valley Conference Championship, placing in eighth overall April 19-21 at the TPC Deere Run.

Day One

Due to very windy weather conditions at TPC Deere Creek, the majority of participants struggled throughout, as ISU finished in 10th place on the first day of the yearly MVC Championship.

Murray State was the top finisher with a total score of 305, while Bradley had 307, Drake and Belmont tied at 312, and rounding out the top five was Indiana State in 323. 

The top placing Redbird was Elise Fennell, who used a six-over 78 to tie for 13th. The sophomore’s two birdies, tied for the ninth most in the tournament field. This stamped her name in the record books with a 4.25 stroke per average on par, and tied for the fourth-best in the tournament.

Behind her was Reagan Kennedy, who had an opening-round 80 and tied for 24th. The junior had 10 pars on the day. Regan Braker was third amongst the Redbirds and was tied for 42nd, as she had seven pars on the day and an opening-round score of 85.

Alex Sparrow used a 14-over 86, which was a birdie and seven pars and placed her tied for 45th. The fifth and final golfer on the day was Dani Grace Schrock, who had an opening round score of 89 and placed her 50th in the tournament.

Day Two

The Redbirds had an impressive second day at the MVC Championship, earning the third-lowest team score on the day which led Illinois State to climb one spot in the standings. They were six shots away from being inside of the top five in the final standings.

The I-74 rival Bradley is the top finisher with a total of 610, while Murray State had 622, Belmont held 625, Drake 632 and rounding out the top five was UIC with 639. 

Sparrow was the top placing Redbird in day two, and used a five-over 77 to climb 14 places in the individual standings, tying for 31st place. The sophomore’s two birdies and nine pars helped her score a 77 tie for the seventh best tournament score of the day.

Securing the top 10 position on day two was Fennell, who also had a five-over 77 and tied for seventh best round on the day. She headed into the final round in a tie for seventh place. 

Kennedy’s second round score put her 26th place in the field after scoring an 82. Dani Grace Schrock earned three birdies and eight pars while having a score of 80. The senior is tied for 41st place. 

The fifth and final golfer on the day was Baker finishing with a second round score of 88. She had seven pars in the round and was in 49th place. 

Day Three

ISU delivered a strong performance on the final day of the tournament, climbing two spots to finish eight Tuesday afternoon. Fennell led the way for the Redbirds and secured All-MVC First Team honors for her place during the season and the championship. 

Fennell closed the third day with an eight-over 80, and used two bridie and nine pars. The sophomore closed the 54-hole tournament with a score of 235 which tied for 14th in the tournament field.

Murray State edged out Bradley by one stroke with the Racers scoring a three-day total 923 and Bradley finished narrowly behind with 924. The Racers will advance to the NCAA Regional after cutting a 12-stroke deficit at the beginning of the day. Belmont was able to finish in third, Drake had 944, and rounding out the top five was UIC with 950.

Kennedy finished her season with a four-over 76. The junior had a birdie, 10 pars and tied for 21st in the tournament field. 

Grace Schrock finished stellar college career with a six-over 78. The senior had a birdie and 11 pars for her round and placed for 37th.

Sparrow added a pair of birdies, six pars and closed the season with an eight-over par 80. The sophomore finished 30th place.

Rounding out the last of the golfers was Baker who finished with a 10-over 82. Participating in her first MVC Championship, the junior had 10 pars and finished in a tie for 46th.