For the second time in the last three years, Illinois State took home the MVC Women's Golf Championship, topping the field of a dozen schools at the tournament hosted at Annbriar Golf Course. The Redbirds held a seven-stroke lead after the first 18 holes, and never trailed again in the program's 15th MVC Championship – most in MVC history.
All 12 MVC institutions competed in the championship, played at the par-72, 6,188-yard layout at Annbriar Golf Course in Waterloo, Ill.
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Illinois State's (889) out-distanced UIC's 901 by a dozen strokes, while Drake (902), UNI (908), Missouri State (911), Belmont (911), Indiana State (916), Bradley (918), Murray State (921), Southern Illinois (929), Evansville (931), and Valparaiso (989) rounded out the 12-team field.
Kate Petrova of Evansville earned individual medalist after a three-hole playoff (against Ali Schrock of Illinois State). Petrova birdied hole No. 18 on the third attempt, while Schrock had a par). Petrova is the seventh MVC golfer to earn Conference Medalist two (or more) times. Petrova was medalist (also by sudden death playoff) in 2023. The 2024 playoff (three holes) marked the longest tiebreaker (by number of holes played) in tournament history.
Medalist: Kate Petrova, Evansville
Team Champion: Illinois State (15th title for ISU, most in MVC history)
Golfer of the Year: Jinyoung Yun, Illinois State (third Redbird to win Golfer of the Year Award)
Newcomer of the Year: Jillian Cosler, Bradley (fifth Bradley student-athlete to win Newcomer of the Year)
Coach of the Year: Breanne Hall, Illinois State (second time to earn the award in three years)
Elite 17 Award: Ali Schrock, Illinois State (back-to-back, also earned the award in 2023)
All-Conference Team
Grace Aramando, Bradley
Jillian Cosler, Bradley
Delia Gibbs, Belmont
Anna Jensen, UNI
Kate Petrova, Evansville
Kayla Pfitzner, Missouri State
Ali Schrock, Illinois State
Dasa Urbankova, UIC
Avalon Woodward, Illinois State
Jinyoung Yun, Illinois State
All-Tournament Team
Kate Petrova, Evansville
Ali Schrock, Illinois State
Jinyoung Yun, Illinois State
Victoria Hualde, UNI
Anna Jensen, UNI
Dasa Urbankova, UIC
With their win, the Redbirds earn an automatic berth into one of six regional locations: Auburn, Alabama, Cle Elum, Washington, College Station, Texas, East Lansing, Michigan, Las Vegas, Nevada, or Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The selection show will be on April 24, and details on location and time will be released when they are announced.
DAY ONE (SUNDAY) RECAP
Behind the top two individual golfers among the tournament field, the Illinois State women’s golf team holds a seven-stroke lead through 36 holes at the 2024 MVC Championship, with the final round to be played tomorrow morning starting with tee times at 8:30 a.m. Jinyoung Yun holds the individual lead through 36 holes with a one-under 143, while Ali Schrock is second, two shots over par over the two rounds. Three players are tied for the third position with defending medalist Kate Petrova of Evansville, Julie Huggins of Drake and Dasa Urbankova of UIC sitting four strokes behind Yun with two-round totals of 147.
The Redbirds hold a seven-stroke lead after the first two rounds with a two-round 594 with rounds of 293 and 301. Among the schools chasing Illinois State include UIC (601), Drake (607), Belmont (608), Northern Iowa (612), Bradley (612), Missouri State (616), Indiana State (618), Southern Illinois (620), Murray State (620), Evansville (623), and Valparaiso (660).