Missouri State is the 2012 State Farm MVC Women's Golf Champion after rallying Tuesday to overtake UNI and Bradley on the tournament's final day. The Bears shot 297 on Tuesday and leapfrogged the Panthers (306) and Braves (306) who entered the final round ahead of them. The title marked just the second all-time for Missouri State, which last won an MVC women's golf championship in 2001.
Missouri State's three-round 300-313-297=910 edged Illinois State, which shot a three-round 913, including a tournament team-low 18 of 294 on Tuesday. UNI (916) and Southern Illinois (916) tied for third place, while Bradley was right behind at 918. It marked the first time in league championship history that five teams finished within eight strokes of the title.
Katie Jean became the third Illinois State golfer in the past four years to win medalist honors as she fired a three-round 74-74-72=220 to edge Southern Illinois' Cassie Rushing (222). SIU's Alisha Matthews fired a a round of 67 on Tuesday to place third overall with a three-round 223. The round was the best in tournament history, surpassing the previous 18-hole low of 68 (set by SIU's Braidy Hood in 2007).
Jean also earned the league's Elite 18 Award, given to a student-athlete among the top-18 individual finishers, with the highest GPA. Jean holds a 4.0 in actuarial science and was the 2011 Elite 18 winner, too.
2012 MVC All-Conference Team
Brittany Atterbury, UNI
Brianna Cooper, Illinois State
Catherine Dolan, Missouri State
Margaret Gilley, Southern Illinois
Thea Hedemann, Bradley
Gretchen Huhnerkoch, Wichita State
Katie Jean, Illinois State
Alisha Matthews, Southern Illinois
Cassie Rushing, Southern Illinois
Kelsey Welber, Missouri State
Player of the Year
Brittany Atterbury, UNI
Newcomer of the Year
Thea Hedemann, Bradley
Coach of the Year
Kevin Kane, Missouri State
MONDAY RECAP -- After 36 holes, UNI continues to lead at the State Farm MVC Women's Golf Championship. The Panthers, picked fifth in the pre-championship poll, are looking for their first-ever title in women's golf. UNI, which fired a 311 today for a two-round total of 610, has a two-shot lead over Bradley (305-307=612) and a three-shot lead over pre-championship favorite Missouri State (300-313=613).
The individual lead is tightly bunched with Bradley freshman Thea Hedemann leading the way with a two-round 73-74=147. A pair of golfers are tied for second as Southern Illinois sophomore Cassie Rushing has a two-round 75-73=148, and Katie Jean of Illinois State carded a two-round 74-74=148. UNI has finished as high as second at the league championship four times previously (most recently in 2002). Bradley has won the MVC women's golf championship four times previously -- most recently in 2006. Missouri State has one previous crown, in 2001.
SUNDAY RECAP -- UNI led after the opening 18 holes of the State Farm MVC Women's Golf Championship. The Panthers, picked fifth in the pre-championship poll, shot 299 as a team on Day One and are one stroke ahead of pre-championship favorite Missouri State. The Panthers were led by Katie Tabbert's even-par 72, as Tabbert leads the entire field (one stroke ahead of Bradley's Thea Hedemann, who had a 73 today). Brittany Atterbury also represents the Panthers in the Top 10 as she shot a 75 on Sunday to tie for sixth best. Missouri State, meanwhile, had three golfers in the Top 10, including Catherine Dolan (74, t3rd), Emma Clegg (74, t3rd) and Kelsey Welber (75, t6th).
The 2012 State Farm MVC Championship will be played Sunday-Tuesday, April 22-24, at the Country Club of Terre Haute in Terre Haute, Ind. Teams will play 18 holes Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday in the 54-hole event. Indiana State is the host school. The winner of the championship earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.
TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS -- Pairings on the first day are determined by the pre-championship coaches' poll with the number five golfers on the lowest scoring teams teeing off first; not more than one player per school per threesome where possible. Pairings for subsequent rounds are based on the results of the previous round, with the highest scoring teams and individuals teeing off first.
COURSE INFORMATION -- The Country Club of Terre Haute is located at 57 Allendale in Terre Haute, Ind. The par-72 course, which measures 6,272 yards from the longest tees, was designed by William Diddle, a founding member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, and opened in 1900.