Taryn Torgerson of Wichita State leads the Shockers in stroke average this season.
Two-time defending champion Wichita State is favored to win the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Golf Championship, according to a pre-championship poll of league coaches. In addition to Wichita State, perennial power Missouri State (last year's runnerup finisher), Bradley and Southern Illinois figure to be among the leading contenders at this year’s championship, which will be played at the Harborside International Golf Center (Port Course) in Chicago, Ill., April 17-19. Loyola University will host the 54-hole tournament, whose champion advances to the NCAA Regionals.
The Shockers will look to deliver on a consistent trend in recent Valley history in which the pre-championship favorite has won the title. From 2003-10 (Bradley beat Illinois State in 2003 on the first hole of a sudden death playoff), seven-straight teams picked to win the MVC Women's Championship ended up claiming the championship. The 2011, 2013 and 2015 pre-championship favorite failed to win, but a total of 10 of the last 13 pre-championship favorites have won the title, including Wichita State in 2014. Wichita State, too, is looking to join just two others in MVC women's golf history to secure three-straight crowns. Tulsa (1994-95-96) and Illinois State (2008-09-10-11) are the only previous teams to win three-consecutive MVC women's golf titles.
Wichita State claimed the 2015 MVC Women's Golf Championship with a three-round 924, outdistancing second-place Missouri State by 13 strokes at the par-72, 6,024-yard layout at Spirit Hollow Golf Club in Burlington, Iowa. Three Shockers fired scores in the 70s on the final day, including medalist Alejandra Arellano who finished with a 72-74-76=222 to win by six strokes over Brooke Cusumano of Southern Illinois (75-79-74=228). The Shockers represented the MVC in the NCAA Regionals, and the MVC team title for Wichita State marked its fourth in school history but marked the first time WSU had won back-to-back MVC championships.
Favorite Wichita State enters the tournament as the league's top-rated team in the GolfStat team head-to-head team ratings. Missouri State is second in the ratings. MVC teams combined for nine team championships this year, including two each by Bradley, Southern Illinois and Missouri State. Indiana State, Drake and Evansville also claimed a team trophy in 2015-16.
In 2015-16, Bradley's Danielle Lemek led the MVC in stroke average during the regular season, clocking in at 74.31 through 29 rounds, with one win. Stine Pettersen of Missouri State carded the next-best stroke average during the regular season, at 74.87 through 30 rounds, just edging out Illinois State's Kiley Walsh (74.88). Notably, 12 different MVC golfers have won medalist honors at tournaments this year. Evansville's Kayla Katterhenry won medalist honors in four of her 10 tournaments. The four individual trophies were tops in the conference.
Harborside International Golf Center, home to both the Port & Starboard Courses, has been Chicago’s home for golf since 1995. Located only minutes from Chicago’s Loop, Harborside offers the premier golf experience in the Chicagoland area. As the only facility with two of Golfweek’s “Best Courses You Can Play in Illinois” and the home to the most expansive driving range and practice facility in Northern Illinois, Harborside delivers the best that Chicago has to offer in golf. The 10 teams will have practice rounds Saturday, and teams play 18 holes each day (Sunday-Tuesday). Fans are invited to attend free of charge.