Missouri State is the favorite to win the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Golf Championship, according to a pre-championship poll of league coaches. With three first-place votes and 89 total points, MSU narrowly edged defending champion Southern Illinois in the poll. The Salukis earned 87 points and also had three first-place votes. Illinois State received three first-place tallies as well and 79 total points to finish third in the voting. UNI (69) and Bradley (68) rounded out the top five teams in the voting.

This year's championship will be played at Bogey Hills Country Club, a par-71, 5,987-yard course in St. Charles, Mo.  Teams will play 36 holes on Monday, April 19, and conclude with 18 holes on Tuesday, April 20.  Both days are scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. CT (weather permitting).  Teams will play a shotgun start on Monday and will have staggered tee times on Tuesday.  The MVC's 54-hole tournament champion will advance to the NCAA Regionals.  Live scoring will be provided by GolfStat.
 
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Place	Team (First-Place Votes)	Points
1	Missouri State (3)	89
2	Southern Illinois (3)	87
3	Illinois State (3)	78
4	UNI (1)	69
5	Bradley	68
6	Drake	52
7	Loyola	41
8	Indiana State	27
9	Evansville	26
10	Valparaiso	12

The Lady Bears will look to deliver on a consistent trend in recent Valley history in which the pre-championship favorite has won; notably 11 of the last 17 pre-championship favorites have earned the title.  The pre-championship favorite Lady Bears have four all-time team titles in MVC women's golf, and only three schools have more (Illinois State, Southern Illinois and Wichita State).

2021 PREVIEW: Pre-championship favorite Missouri State will be led by Abby Cavaiani. Cavaiani closed the regular season with a team-leading 76.4 scoring average that included 14 rounds in the 70's, four of par or better.  Earlier this spring she the won MSU/Payne Stewart Memorial with 75-71-71--217.  SIU has been led by a trio of golfers this spring, including senior Moyea Russell (77.21), Erica Kerr (77.47) and Emilyee McGiles (76.53). The third choice in the poll -- Illinois State -- has been led by sophomore Ali Schrock.  Her scoring average of 76.4 is the fourth-lowest in the MVC this season. Of her 17 rounds during the spring, 15 were in the 70’s, including 10 rounds under 77. Maria Toledo Bailey (76.07) and Emma Sutton (76.5) have also been key contributors for the Redbirds this spring.  UNI senior Hannah Bermel will also be one to watch. She recorded a 77.4 stroke average in 14 rounds this spring and finished with eight rounds in the 70's. She won the Indiana State Invite (71-72—143). Senior Sydney Eaton of UNI carded a 77.60 stroke average and was tied for the individual lead after 54 holes in the 2019 event (losing to Cavaiani on a playoff). 

Meanwhile Taylor Ledwein of Bradley is already a four-time All-MVC pick. She won back-to-back medalist titles at the Diane Daugherty Invite and Jan Weaver Invitational this spring and has finished in the top 10 in three of four events.  Ledwein fired nine rounds in the 70’s or lower, including two rounds in the 60’s. Her teammate Elyse Emerzian fired a spring average of 77.25.  Drake's top two golfers this spring have been juniors Kristen Giles (77.89) and Haeri Lee (76.33), while the seventh pick in the poll -- Loyola -- has been led by Abby Thielbar (78.1) and Lorenza Martinez (78.3).  Indiana State's Lauren Green leads the Sycamore roster with a 80.35 stroke average; Sophia Rohleder carded a 77.00 stroke average this spring to top Evansville's club, while Payton Hodson of Valpo leads her team in scoring average entering the MVC Championship (81.0).

BOGEY HILLS: Bogey Hills is well-known for their awe-inspiring golf course which has been the preferred place to putt for PG winners, social executives. From the moment you step on the tee box, you’ll find the pristine green one of the best places at the club. Bogey has beautiful waterfalls and spectacular views and abundance of aromatic flowers and majestic trees everywhere will certainly give you a moment's pause. Zoysia fairways spread out before Bentgrass greens that feature no grain and low cutting height, therefore, putting is true.

Fans must remain physically distant from other families or groups when moving through the venue or while on the course. Fans are not permitted to interact with the student-athletes, coaches, team personnel or rules officials at any time. Fans are encouraged to review host course and local health and safety guidelines prior to arrival.

2019 REVIEW (The 2020 MVC Championship was not conducted due to the pandemic):  For the first time since 2007, Southern Illinois' women's golf team claimed the Missouri Valley Conference title. The Salukis scored a seven-stroke victory over second-place UNI after firing a three-round 300-299-306=905. The championship was contested at Sand Creek Country Club, a par-72, 6084-yard course, in Chesterton, Ind. The title marked the eighth all-time for SIU, while coach Danielle Kaufman guided her team to the title in her first year, marking the first time a rookie MVC women's golf coach won the title since Illinois State's Darby Sligh accomplished the feat as Redbird head coach in 2008. Kaufman also was named Coach of the Year by her peers, marking the fourth time an SIU coach has earned the honor (Diane Daugherty was a three-time winner as Saluki head coach).

UNI earned runner-up honors by firing a Tuesday low round of 300 for a three-round 311-301-300=912.  Teams were tightly bunched, however, as Bradley (914), Indiana State (915), Drake (916) and Missouri State (923) followed closely behind.  The second-place finish marked the second-straight for UNI, which last won consecutive runner-up finishes in 1985 and 1986.

While the team title was less dramatic near the end of play, the medalist honor was hotly contested.  For just the fourth time in league history, golfers were tied after the completion of 54 holes.  Missouri State's Abby Cavaiani edged UNI's Sydney Eaton on the second playoff hole to earn medalist honors.  Both players fired a three-round 220.  The playoff for medalist honors marked the first in MVC women's golf since 1996 (in the two other years, the league named co-medalists and did not conduct a playoff in those other years).  Cavaiani earned Newcomer of the Year honors (vote of head coaches) and became the first MVC golfer since 2011 to earn medalist honors as a first-year MVC player (Brianna Cooper, Illinois State).  Cavaiani was also a member of the league's 10-golfer All-Conference Team.

The league's other top honors went to Thilda Staubo of Indiana State (Golfer of the Year) and UNI's Hannah Bermel (Elite 17 winner).  Staubo became the first Sycamore to earn Golfer of the Year honors since the award first was given in 2007.  She finished third in the league championship, just one stroke behind Eaton and Cavaiani.  Bermel, meanwhile, was honored with the league's Elite 17 honor, given to the individual among the Top 18 finishers with the highest cumulative GPA over a minimum of three semesters.