It was supposed to be a battle between some of the finest programs in the state. But a battle it was not, as the NIU women’s golf team walked away with a decisive victory in the Illinois State University Redbird Invitational.

The Huskies, leading by eight strokes after Saturday’s first two rounds, finished with a two-day total of 938. They beat their closest opponent, host ISU, by 12 strokes. University of Illinois finished third with a 952.

“We’re tops in the Land of Lincoln,” coach Pam Tyska said. “In the head-to-head competition with ISU and U of I, we proved we are number one in the state.”

NIU now posts a 3-0 record with two back-to-back weekend victories. The Huskies won the Iowa State Golf Classic last weekend.

Once again, three NIU players placed among the top ten. Junior Kim Hodge took second place honors followed by teammate Nicole Jeray, who finished third. Freshman linkster Shelley Wendels tied for ninth.

“Kim played fantastic,” Tyska said. “This was probably one of her best outings in her entire career. I’m really pleased with her and the team.”

The Huskies will take their undefeated record on the road next weekend to participate in the Michigan State University Invitational.