2026 MVC WOMEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Sunday, April 19 -- 8:30 am – Round 1 (18 holes, split tees)
Monday, April 20 – 8:30 am – Round 2 (18 holes, split tees)
Tuesday, April 21 – 8:30 am – Round 3 (18 holes, split tees)
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.