Murray State earned its first Missouri Valley Conference women's golf title as it rallied from 12 strokes down on the final day to edge Bradley by a single stroke. The Racers fired a three-round 304-318-301-923 and have earned the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship. As medalist, Belmont's Sloane Biddle will also represent the MVC in the NCAA Championship as an individual. Bradley was runner-up in the team standings with its three-round 924. Murray State's final round of 301 was a tournament best.
Biddle fired a three-round 222 (74-73-75) to outdistance the field by seven strokes. Southern Illinois' Kayla Sayyalinh was runner-up finisher (229). Of the top eight finishers on the individual leaderboard, two are from Belmont, two from Murray State, and one each from Bradley, Drake, Evansville, and Southern Illinois.
The championship was played at the par-72, 5,954-yard layout at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. UNI was the host school. Individual awards were announced at the conclusion of the championship on Tuesday (see below).
WOMEN'S GOLF HONORS
Medalist: Sloane Biddle, Belmont
Golfer of the Year: Sloane Biddle, Belmont
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Chloe Tarkany, Belmont, Gr. [4.00 MBA - Accelerated; 4.00 Undergrad - Finance]
Elite 18 Winner: Chloe Tarkany, Belmont
Coach of the Year: Philip Nelson, Murray State
All-Conference Team
Sloane Biddle, Belmont
Jillian Cosler, Bradley
Elise Fennell, Illinois State
Julie Huggins, Drake
Caroline McConnell, Bradley
Allison Pacocha, Bradley
Kate Petrova, Evansville
Kayla Sayyalinh, Southern Illinois
Chloe Tarkany, Belmont
Elin Tynan, Murray State
All-Tournament Team (Top 5, ties)
Sloane Biddle, Belmont
Kayla Sayyalinh, Southern Illinois
Chloe Tarkany, Belmont
Alyssa Mixon, Bradley
Elin Tynan, Murray State
Ella Scherer, Murray State
MONDAY (APRIL 20) RECAP
Bradley fired a tournament 18-hole low round of 303 on Monday to take a 12 stroke lead over second-place Murray State heading into the final round of the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Golf Championship. The Braves sit at 307-303=610 after 36 holes. Murray State (304-318=622) and Belmont (312-313=625) will be paired with Bradley on the final round. Bradley has earned four previous MVC women's golf titles (1999, 2002, 2003, 2006) and is seeking to become the fifth MVC women's golf program to earn a fifth crown in the sport. Murray State's best finish as an MVC golf member at the women's championship came in its first season in the Conference as the Racers took fourth place at the 2023 event at Annbriar Golf Course. Belmont's best previous finish in the team standings was also that year as the Bruins tied for second in 2023.
Sloane Biddle of Belmont fired a 73 on Monday and holds the individual lead heading into Tuesday's final round. Biddle has a 74-73=147 and has a four-stroke lead over Bradley's Alyssa Mixon (151). Should Biddle protect her lead on Tuesday, she'll be the first Belmont women's golfer to take home the league's individual title. Bradley, meanwhile, has three of its golfers in the Top 4 in the individual race. Mixon (151) is joined by teammates Allison Pacocha (3rd, 153) and Jillian Cosler (t4th, 154). Murray State's Elin Tynan and Tina von Arx are also tied for fourth place at 154. Six others are just one stroke back, tied for seventh, at 155. Biddle's 73 was the lowest score on Monday, and matched the tournament low for an 18-hole score.
SUNDAY (APRIL 19) RECAP
Murray State holds the team lead after the first 18 holes of the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference women's golf championship. The Racers fired an opening round 304 and lead Bradley (307) by three strokes. It marks the first time in MSU's brief MVC history (fourth season) that the Racers held a lead at the MVC championship after the first day. Ella Scherer of Murray State and Alyssa Mixon of Bradley both shot a one-over-par 73 and share the individual lead after the championship's first 18 holes. Belmont's Sloane Biddle is one stroke back (74) and in sole possession of third place on the individual leaderboard. Three Drake golfers are in the Top 7, including Julie Huggins (75), Erika Holmberg (75), and Amber Henson (76). Murray State's Elin Tynan joins teammate Scherer in the Top 5, as she's tied for fourth at 75. The championship is being conducted at the par-72, 5,954-yard layout at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. Sunday's opening round was delayed 70 minutes (frost delay). Temps were in the mid 50s with winds in the upper teens for most of the first round.
CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
The top three MVC women's programs in the most recent NCAA rankings are Bradley, Murray State, and Drake - those three schools will be paired with one another on the first day of the MVC Championship. Bradley's Caroline McConnell leads three Braves who rank in the Top 10 of MVC golfers in the Clippd NCAA national statistics. McConnell has four top-10 finishes and three top-20 finishes in nine events this year, including runner-up finishes at both the Coyote Creek Classic and the Rio Verde Collegiate. The senior is a five-time MVC Golfer of the Week over the course of this season. She's joined by teammates Jillian Cosler (last year's MVC Championship medalist) and Allison Pacocha in the Top 10. Elise Fennell of Illinois State was the league 2025 Freshman of the Year, and she's ranked No. 2 among MVC golfers in the NCAA rankings. Fennell's single rounds at or under par this season are the eighth-most in a season in school history, and her scoring average is on pace to be the eighth-best.
Belmont's duo of Sloane Biddle and Chloe Tarkany represent the Bruins in the Top 4 of the MVC leaderboard. Biddle leads her team in scoring at 73.3, and she earned one win, two runner-up finishes, and six top-10 finishes this season. Tarkany is right behind, as she ranks second for Belmont in scoring with a 74.0 average. The graduate student earned two wins, four top-10s, and seven top-20s this year. Drake also has a pair of individuals in the Top 10 in the MVC rankings, led by Julie Huggins. Huggins totaled one top-5 finish, two top-10 finishes, and three top-25 finishes on the season, and she shot her career-low 18-hole score of 68 in the opening round of the BGSU Women’s Intercollegiate. Murray State's Elin Tynan (fifth) and Southern Illinois' Kayla Sayyalinh (10th) round out the MVC top-10 performers in Clippd. Just outside of the Top 10 in the NCAA rankings is Evansville's Kate Petrova -- she's one seven golfers in MVC history to win medalist honors at the league championship twice (2023, 2024).
THE SITE
TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill., is a premier 18-hole, par-71 championship course known for hosting the PGA TOUR's John Deere Classic since 2000. Designed by Illinois State's D.A. Weibring, the course can play as long as 7,258 yards. The layout is a parkland-style course with scenic ravines, bentgrass greens, and expansive views of the Rock River. It is open to the public and offers a challenging, high-end golf experience.
2025 REVIEW
Behind a MVC Championship-record team score of 874, the Illinois State women’s golf team won the 2025 MVC Championship – the team’s second straight – by 31 strokes, the fifth-largest margin of victory in MVC Championship history. The team championship is ISU’s 16th in the program history, twice as many as the next closest on the list. The 2025 medalist was Bradley’s Jillian Cosler. Cosler shot a 71-72-72 - for a three-round 215 to win the tournament. It’s tied for the third-lowest 54-hole tournament in MVC championship history. She is the 7th Bradley individual to earn medalist honors. UNI senior Anna Jensen led the Panthers by finishing in second place with a final score of 217 (+1). Jensen's second-place finish is her best all-time at the MVC Championships. Jensen set a new best low-round score in round three with a 69, while sinking 10 birdies and 9 bogeys over the three-day tournament.