PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – The UIndy women's golf team finished its deep run at the NCAA Division II Championships Friday evening, falling in the medal/match play semifinal to Cal State San Marcos, 3-2. The Greyhounds officially tied for third place at the championships, recording their fifth consecutive top-three finish at DII's marquee tournament, a run that includes national titles in 2015 and 2018.
 
"I am very proud that we took a very inexperienced group into the postseason and are waking away as a national semifinalist," said Head Coach Brent Nicoson. "I hope this fuels the fire for our younger players and recruits coming in next year.
 
"But right now this hurts. I hate that we couldn't send the seniors off with a national championship, but we will work even harder to get back to this point again next season."
 
UIndy qualified for medal/match play with a third-place finish in the 54-hole stroke play portion. UIndy drew six-seeded Limestone in the quarterfinals and advanced via tiebreaker to the semifinals (details below).
 
The semifinal matched the Hounds against second-seeded Cal State San Marcos, where UIndy took two points before falling, 3-2. Senior Kennedy Holtclaw, who also won her quarterfinal pairing, took down CSUSM's Breann Horn by four strokes, while junior Pilar Echeverria topped Jaime Jacobs by two shots.
 
 The final pairing featured two of Division II's absolute best players. Echeverria was named the WGCA DII Player of the Year, while Jacob won the individual medal at the championships.
 
"We had the best player in the country all year long in Pilar," Nicoson noted, "and it will be great to have her back for another season."
 
Though Nicoson was happy his Greyhounds continued their success at Nationals, the veteran head man couldn't help but be left wanting a little more.
 
"I'm really proud of our effort this week and entire season," he said, "but I'm very disappointed not to be in the final match tomorrow. We just didn't play solid enough across the board and came up one match short."

The tournament was held on the par-73 Champions Course at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

QUARTERFINAL
UIndy advanced through an exciting quarterfinal match-up on a tiebreaker. The Hounds tied six-seeded Limestone, 2-2-1, but did so in four less shots, with UIndy's five players totaling 388 to Limestone's 392.
 
Senior Kennedy Holtsclaw (77) and freshman Cailyn Henderson (76) both won their pairing, with Holtsclaw winning by four strokes and Henderson by three.
 
THURSDAY
The defending-champion UIndy women's golf team punched its ticket to the quarterfinals Thursday, finishing 54 holes of stroke play in third place, good for a spot tomorrow's eight-team quarters.
 
The format shifts to a medal/match play for the remaining quarterfinals, semifinals and final. The Hounds will be matched up with sixth-seeded Limestone University tomorrow morning. Both squads' five players will be paired up in twos, with the lowest 18-hole score from each pair earning one point for their team. The first team to three points will advance to the national semifinals tomorrow afternoon.
 
Junior Pilar Echeverria (74-72-80) led the Hounds through stroke play, finishing at +7 to tie for seventh individually. Sophomore Anna Kramer (76-72-83) made the most of her first appearance at Nationals, sharing 17th place at +12. Senior Kennedy Holtsclaw (76-77-81) tied for 22nd place in her final collegiate tournament, fellow-senior Katharina Keilich (80-78-82) tied for 42nd and freshman Cailyn Henderson (82-83-88) shared 75th.
 
Jaime Jacob (72-72-75) of Cal State San Marcos took the individual medal at even par.

WEDNESDAY
Through 36 holes, the 2019 NCAA Division II Championships has a new team leader, as the UIndy women's golf team climbed three spots to the top of the leaderboard. The defending champs were to only team in the field with a sub-300 score Wednesday, finishing the round at 299 to build a five-stroke cushion heading into the final round of stroke play.
 
In a new format this year, the top eight teams after 54 holes of stroke play will advance to the medal/match-play quarterfinals. The quarters and semis will be played on Friday, with the remaining two teams competing for the team national championship Saturday. The individual medal will be handed out on Thursday at the conclusion of stroke play.

Two Greyhounds are positioned in the top 10 through two rounds. Both Pilar Echeverria (74-72) and Anna Kramer (76-72) shot under par Wednesday, with Echeverria in fourth place overall at even par and Kramer two strokes back in sixth. Meanwhile, Anahi Servin (73-71) of the Academy of Art and Jaime Jacob (72-72) of Cal State San Marcos share the individual lead at -2.
 
Senior Kennedy Holtsclaw (76-77) is tied for 22nd in the 95-golfer field, senior Katharina Keilich is tied for 42nd and freshman Cailyn Henderson (82-83) shares 69th.

TUESDAY
UIndy began its national title defense Tuesday, as the 2019 NCAA Championships got underway with round-one action. The Greyhounds carded a team score of 306 to share fourth place through 18 holes. The five-day tournament is being held at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens.
 
Junior Pilar Echeverria posted the best score by a Greyhound, with her round of +1 good for a piece of ninth place on the individual leaderboard. Two Hounds finished at +3, as Elite 90 award-winner Kennedy Holtsclaw and sophomore Anna Kramer shared 17th. Senior Katharina Keilich (80) sits in 47th and freshman Cailyn Henderson (82) is positioned in 70th.