After a postponement of their fourth MIAA Jamboree event on Thursday, Saint Mary’s golf traveled to Normal, Illinois, over the weekend. There, the team competed at the Illinois Wesleyan Kathy Niepagen Spring Fling, earning seventh place in a field of 21 teams.
As a team, the Belles shot 629 on the weekend at Ironwood Golf Course, finishing behind several highly-ranked squads. Host program Illinois Wesleyan, the 12th-ranked team in the country, took first place with a 36-hole score of 581. No. 11 St. Catherine claimed second with a 598, and No. 18 Carleton occupied third with a 619.
Sophomore Julia Lizak emerged as the top Saint Mary’s finisher, using a first-round 73 to set up a ninth-place weekend score of 150, the best two-day score of her career. Lizak played especially well on par fours, tying for second place in scoring on such holes.
Sophomore Amanda Melling paced the Belles in Sunday’s final round, shooting 75 for the best 18-hole round of her career. Overall, Melling shot 152 to land in 14th place at the tournament’s end.
On her way to a 34th-place result, senior Haley Angel started her Sunday strong with a birdie on the first hole. Angel ended with a two-day score of 160, keeping all her second-day scores at bogey or better.
Freshman Colleen Hand and sophomore Breana Harrington rounded out the Belles’ results, posting respective scores of 167 and 177. Hand finished in a tie for 59th place, while Harrington ended in an 82nd-place bunch.
Looking ahead, the Belles have the busiest stretch of their season coming up over the next week. The team will travel to Cascades Golf Course in Jackson, Michigan, for the Albion Cascades Invitational on Wednesday before competing in the rescheduled MIAA Jamboree on Thursday. Saint Mary’s will then gear up for the MIAA Championship next Monday and Tuesday.
The Albion Cascades Invitational begins at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
