EUREKA, Mo. – The UIndy women's golf team used a record-setting performance to capture the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships title Sunday, securing an unprecedented seventh consecutive conference crown in the sport. The three-day event was held at Fox Run Golf Club in Eureka, Mo.
The Greyhounds combined for a final-round team score of 287 (-1) to finish at 886, setting new conference marks for lowest 18- and 54-hole scores at the league championship. The team also set a conference record for margin of victory, besting runner-up Missouri-St. Louis by 37 strokes.
All five Hounds finished in the top 10, four earned All-GLVC accolades, while senior
Paxton DeHaven (74-74-71) earned her second consecutive GLVC individual title.
"To win a seventh consecutive GLVC title feels great," said Head Coach Brent Nicoson. "It's a run that started with a special group in 2012, and this team really wanted to keep the streak alive.
"They've had a special season so far and this convincing win adds to that. We had to plan on UMSL making a run so we wanted to win today's round and this team went out and got it done. We struggled a bit yesterday but the team bounced back, refocused and came out on a mission today. This was a complete team effort.
"I couldn't be more proud of this group."
DeHaven put together a consistent performance over the three-day event, concluding her tournament with a final-round 71. The Seymour, Ind., native collected her third straight top-three result at GLVCs and second straight conference medal. She becomes the first student-athlete since 1999 (Reetta Laakkonen, Lewis) to win consecutive GLVC individual crowns.
"Paxton played a phenomenal round today," Nicoson noted. "She works relentlessly to get better, and it paid off today. I'm so proud of her effort."
Pilar Echeverria (74-79-70) and
Katharina Keilich (75-76-72) finished at +7 to share third place. Echeverria rebounded from an uncharacteristic 79 Saturday to fire a two-under 70 Sunday, good for the lowest round of the entire tournament. Keilich also finished strong with an even-par 72 Sunday.
Senior
Annika Haynes (73-75-79) secured fifth place to earn the final All-GLVC nod of the tournament. Senior
Kylie Raines (78-78-74) climbed three spots in the final round to share seventh.
ALL-GLVC HONOREES
Paxton DeHaven, UIndy
Nicolle Barmettler, Truman
Pilar Echeverria, UIndy
Katharina Keilich, UIndy
Annika Haynes, UIndy
The Greyhounds' win added a 12th GLVC Women's Golf Championship to their trophy case, more than all other schools combined. No other team has more than three GLVC titles.
The victory also secured the league's automatic bid at the upcoming NCAA Division II Championships. The official announcement of the 36-team field will come Monday before regional play takes place May 7-9 at Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids, Mich.
SATURDAY
The Great Lakes Valley Conference Women's Golf Championships resumed Saturday with the second of three rounds. After crafting a four-stroke edge through day one, the defending-champion Greyhounds upped the margin to 15 with just 18 holes to play.
The Hounds created the cushion with a second-round team score of 303, further distancing themselves from second-place Missouri-St. Louis (314).
Playing in their final GLVC Tournament, seniors
Annika Haynes (73-75) and
Paxton DeHaven (74-74) climbed to the top of the individual leaderboard, sharing first at +4. DeHaven, the reigning GLVC medalist, matched the best score of the day Saturday with a two-over 74.
The other three Greyhounds also sit in the top 10, with
Katharina Keilich (75-76) tied for fourth,
Pilar Echeverria (74-79) in seventh and
Kylie Raines (78-78) tied for 10th. UMSL's Emma Thorngren (72-77) is in third place, one back of the lead.
FRIDAY
The Hounds finished eight-over par in Friday's opening round to a four-stroke lead after 18 holes. Missouri-St. Louis sits in second with a first-round score of 300, while third-place Illinois Springfield is 17 shots off the lead at 313.
Four Hounds sit in the top eight on the individual leaderboard. Senior
Annika Haynes leads the way at +1, good for a share of second place. The Oakville, Ontario native was three under on the front nine and is just one back of leader Emma Thorngren of UMSL.
Pilar Echeverria and
Paxton DeHaven are tied for fifth place at +2, while
Katharina Keilich is in seventh at +3.
Kylie Raines is tied for 13th at +6.
The second of three rounds is scheduled to start tomorrow at 9:18 a.m. ET. The Greyhounds will begin teeing off at 10:30 a.m.
