POOLER, GA: The 8th ranked Texas Wesleyan University women's golf team finished 9th in its first NAIA National Championship appearance. The 72-hole event concluded on Friday at Savannah Quarters Country Club.
In just their third season, the Lady Rams, featuring two seniors and three freshmen in the competition, have been rated in the top-10 in each of the last three NAIA Coaches' Poll. They backed that rating up with a top-10 finish at the 21st Annual NAIA Championship. After a final round 324, the Rams tied for 9th with South Carolina-Beaufort at +112 (1264).
With the course set up for a challenging final round, scores rose across the board on Friday.
Jacey Patton led the Lady Rams with a round of 78 as the Rams posted a card of 324 on Friday. Patton finished tied for 46th at 317 for the tournament.
Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) Player of the Year
Alex Schies was Texas Wesleyan's top finisher. Schies shot 310 in the event to tie for 26th amongst 143 student-athletes. SAC runner-up
Taylor Icenberger finished tied for 63rd at 327.
Seniors,
Alexis Belton and
Stephanie Kalapach played their final collegiate rounds on Friday. Belton shot 81 in the round and 313 for the tournament to tie for 33rd. Kalapach shot 85 for the round and 333 for the tournament to tie for 75th. Belton finishes her career holding school records for tournaments played (26), wins (2), top-5's (5), top-10's (8), and top-20's (14). Kalapach ranks third in tournaments played (20), second in top-10's (6), and second in top-20's (8).
Top-ranked Northwood (FL) ran away with the team title. The Seahawks entered the final round tied for the lead and won by 22 strokes after a round of 296 to finish at +59 (1211). Their 72-hole score tied for the third-best in the history of the event. William Woods, SCAD-Savannah, and Dalton State all tied for second at +81 (1233). Cumberlands, who held a share of the lead entering Friday's action, finished 5th at +85 (1234).
All three SAC teams in the event finished in the top-10. Oklahoma City placed 6th, and Wayland Baptist was 8th just 10 shots ahead of the Rams.
Dalton State's Julia McQuilken took the individual title at +4 (292) after a final round 77, besting Northwood's Elsa Westin by five strokes. McQuilken's 292 tied for the second best 72-hole score in Championship history, one stroke behind SCAD-Savannah's Alazne Urizar's 2014 total. Urizar tied for third in this year's event at +10.
The Rams will sorely miss Belton and Kalapach as they have both made tremendous contributions to the young program. However, the future is bright with Schies, Icenberger, and Patton all having three more seasons ahead of them.
Fin. Player Scores
T26 Alex Schies 79 75 75 81 310
T33 Alexis Belton 78 78 75 82 313
T46 Jacey Patton 83 74 82 78 317
T63 Taylor Icenberger 78 82 84 83 327
T75 Stephanie Kalapach 84 83 81 85 333
T9 Texas Wesleyan 318 309 313 324 1264 Ramblings
- This season the Lady Rams turned in each of the top seven team rounds in program history and each of the top four individual rounds.
- The Lady Rams finished no worse than third in their last six tournaments entering the National Championship.
- The Lady Rams have a win and three runner-up finishes amongst their seven top-5 finishes this season.
- Texas Wesleyan Women's Golf is in just its third season. They have been rated in 11 consecutive NAIA Coaches' Polls and have appeared in the top-10 in each of the last three polls.
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Alexis Belton (Southern Arkansas Mulerider Classic) and
Alex Schies (Houston-Victoria Claud Jacobs Intercollegiate) both had individual wins this season.
