GV women’s golf finishes in second place in home tournament
GVL / Emily Frye Junior Alex Taylor sets the ball before taking her shot on Sep. 27th.
Sep 28, 2015
In the sixth annual Gilda’s Club Laker Fall Invite, the Grand Valley State women’s golf team finished in second place behind the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
The Lakers shot a 307 (+19) on the first day, good to hold a one-stroke lead UMSL at the end of the day.
GVSU’s lead, however, wouldn’t hold.
On day two, UMSL fired a tournament best 302 (+14) to leapfrog the Lakers and capture first place. GVSU, which hosted the tournament, shot a 310 (+22) to finish seven strokes behind UMSL in second place.
GVSU posted quality scores on both days. The Lakers’ top eight rounds were all in the 70s. Eight 70s usually translates into a first place trophy on the ever-tough Meadows Golf Course, but the Tritons scored eight 70s of their own.
“It speaks to the quality of the East Region and how they are getting a lot stronger,” said GVSU head coach Rebecca Mailloux.
Senior Gabrielle Shipley led the way for the Lakers. Shipley posted a 150 (+6) to finish third overall.
Shipley’s success off of the tee allowed her to be aggressive and attack pin locations.
“Both days my drives were really good,” Shipley said. She missed just two fairways all tournament.
Finishing second for the Lakers was junior Julie Guckian. Guckian shot a 154 (+10), good enough for a tie for seventh place.
Junior Danielle Crilley finished the tournament just behind Guckian. Crilley shot a 78 in consecutive days for a total score of 156 (+12) and a 12th-place finish. Crilley finished the weekend with three birdies on the last five holes on Sunday.
“My putter was working well all week,” said Crilley, who drained back-to-back birdie putts on holes 17 and 18.
Crilley also chipped in from off the green on the 15th hole for another birdie. It was one of three chip-ins from the Lakers on Sunday.
“Last week we focused a lot on our short game,” said Mailloux, who was thrilled with the improvement from her team. “I don’t think I’ve seen three chip-ins in a whole season.”
Freshman Alexandra Amos carded a 157 (+13) to finish fourth for the Lakers and 14th overall. Amos improved one stroke on Sunday, carding a 78 after a first-round 79.
Rounding out the scoring for the Lakers was sophomore Samantha Moss, who finished in a tie for 32nd place with a 166 (+22).
UMSL topped the leaderboard, shooting a 610 (+34), followed by GVSU at 617 (+41), Findlay at 620 (+44), Ashland at 638 (+62) and Ferris State at 656 (+80).
Two GVSU players competed individually over the weekend. Junior Alex Taylor finished with a score of 156 (+12). Taylor improved on her score of 80 on Saturday with a 76 on Sunday. Taylor’s four-stroke improvement was the largest by any GVSU golfer in the tournament.
Freshman Mackenzie Blomberg finished tied for 41st with an individual score of 169 (+25). Neither score of the individually competing Lakers factored into the team’s total score.
UMSL’s Stefaniya Ivanova carded a 141 (-3) to earn the top individual score.
GVSU looks to take home its first win of the season next weekend at the NCAA East Super Regional Preview. The two-day tournament will be held at Piper Glen Golf Course in Springfield, Illinois.
