Redbirds Finish Eighth at Lady Red Wolves Classic Behind Historic Performances
Written by Vincent Quiroz on October 13, 2026
Image courtesy of Illinois State athletics
JONESBORO, Ark. — Illinois State Women’s golf finished in eighth place at the Lady Red Wolves Classic hosted by Arkansas State, on Tuesday. The Redbirds dominated the opening and closing round of the two-day, three-round tournament with strong performances, highlights by memorable rounds from multiple golfers.
The Redbirds shot an opening-round 286, tying for the 10th-best round in program history. After round one, the Redbirds found themselves tied for first with Murray State, with both teams being two under par.
Illinois State struggled in the second round, finishing 20 over par. The difficult round dropped them to eighth place through 36 holes.
Cynthia Lang was the top finisher for the Redbirds after the first day, tying of 17th overall. Lang’s opening-round 71 tied for the 19th best round by a freshman in program history. She recorded five birdies and 10 pars in her first round, before finishing two over par with a score of 74 in the second round.
Cora Hirz and Reagan Kennedy tied for 30th place through the first two rounds, both shooting 70 and 77. Hirz opening-round 70 tied for the seventh-best round by a freshman in program history. Her round included four birdies and 12 pars, while Kennedy recorded three birdies and 14 pars. Both redbirds finished five over par in the second round.
Alex Sparrow finished the first day tied for 63rd, while Xuan “Hazel” Gao tied for 77th. Sparrow finished three over and eight over par in her first and second rounds, while Gao shot three over and six over par.
The Redbirds bounced back in the final round, tying for third with three other schools. Illinois State had four golfers finish the round two under par or better. The team shot three under par in the final round.
Kennedy finished the final round with a 4-under-par 68, the 10th-lowest individual round in program history. She tied for second in round at four under par, recording five birdies and 12 pars. Kennedy was the Redbirds’ top finisher, placing 12th overall. Her three-round score of 215 was the 18th best tournament score in school history and her career best.
Hirz finished the final round two under par, tying for fourth on the day. She birdied four of the five par-5 holes and added 12 pars. Hirz tied for 17th, making her the second highest Illinois State finisher.
Lang finished one over par in the final round, recording 12 pars and three birdies. Lang had the second-lowest par-4 scoring average at 3.83 and finished tied for 23rd.
Hirz and Lang both recorded historic performances for freshman. Hirz finished with a three-round score of 217, while Lang finished one stroke behind at 218. Hirz total score was the seventh-lowest by an Illinois State freshman in school history, while Lang ranked ninth.
Sparrow shot two over par, while Gao finished six over par. Sparrow tied for 61st, and Gao finished 78th in the tournament.
Illinois State will look to build on its showing at the Lady Red Wolves Classic in its final Fall tournament, the Samford Intercollegiate, in Birmingham, Alabama, on Nov. 1-2.
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