COAL VALLEY, Ill. – The UIndy women's golf team capped a memorable week in the Quad Cities Sunday, winning the 2024 GLVC Championships with a 3 1/2 – 1 1/2 victory against Missouri-St. Louis in the match play final. Battling challenging conditions and weather delays at Oakwood Country Club throughout the week, the Greyhounds secured their 11th league title in the last 12 years.
The victory secured an automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA DII East Regional, set for May 6-8 at nearby Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel, Ind. The official announcement of the postseason field is scheduled to come tomorrow.
SUNDAY
After freshman
Jess Haines pulled away for a nine-stroke win in the first finals matchup,
Matilda Cederholm edged UMSL's Wilma Zanderau to secure another point for the Hounds in the race to three. Fresh off winning conference medalist honors yesterday, Cederholm broke a tie with a birdie on the par-five 15th and held on for the one-stroke win.
It was
Anci Dy that delivered the championship-winning point. A two-time All-American and the longest tenured of UIndy players in attendance, Dy led Juliette Lecomte for the final 13 holes on the way to a three-stoke win.
Macey Brown sank a clutch six-foot par putt on 18 to earn a half point, while
Caroline Whallon battled to a tie through 17 before finally falling by two strokes.
The Hounds cruised to a 4 1/2 – 1/2 win versus Maryville in the morning semifinal. Haines (+6) secured a half point to lead things off before each of the final four Hounds won their pairing. Whallon (+5) won by just two strokes, but Brown (E) and Cederholm (+2) both won by six and Dy (E) was a 10-stroke victor.
SATURDAY
Matilda Cederholm (+13) saved her best stroke-play round for last, carding a one-over 72 in the final round—good for the lowest round of the tournament thus far. The Lomma, Sweden native fired consecutive birdies on 15, 16 and 17 to earn a six-stroke win. The finish marked the seventh time in the last eight GLVC Championships that a Greyhound earned medalist honors.
Jess Haines (+21) took sole possession of fourth place to garner All-GLVC First Team accolades in her conference championship debut. Junior
Anci Dy climbed 20 spots on the leaderboard over the final two rounds to take sixth place and finish one stroke out of all-conference status.
ALL-GLVC*
1. Matilda Cederholm, UIndy (+13)
2. Wilma Zanderau, Missouri-St. Louis (+19)
3. Elaine Grant, Illinois-Springfield (+20)
4. Jess Haines, UIndy (+21)
5. Taryn Overstreet, Drury (+24)
*Five more student-athletes will be added via coaches vote at a later date
Sophomore
Macey Brown shared 11th at +28.
Caroline Whallon and
Ava Ray split time in the final lineup spot, with Ray's final-round 74—and even-par back nine—on Saturday afternoon among the highlights of the week.
FRIDAY
Battling cold, rainy and windy conditions—as well a lengthy lightning delay— the Hounds got off to a slow and found themselves in the bottom half of the leaderboard early. UIndy clawed back with a strong back nine, as
Caroline Whallon shot even par on the back and
Anci Dy strung together five straight pars coming in.
But it was
Matilda Cederholm that had the most consistent round, finishing with a six-over 77 to lead the field by two strokes. Whallon and fellow-freshman
Jess Haines sit at +9 to share ninth place.
Macey Brown sits at T-20, while Dy's late push positioned her in a tie for 26th.
