Freshman Alexa Ouellet led NIU women’s golf to a 12th place finish at the Mary Fossum Invitational in East Lansing, Michigan.
Ouellet finished the tournament with a low score among all NIU athletes, posting a score of 10 over par (226) and ending the event tied for 35th place.
As a team, the Huskies finished in 12th place in the field of 15 schools. NIU finished ahead of Kennesaw State University, Oakland University and the only other Mid-American Conference school at the invitational, the University of Toledo.
NIU beat Kennesaw State by one stroke as the Huskies finished with a score of 55 over par (919), and Kennesaw State finished at 56 (920) over par.
The University of Mississippi was the winner of the invitational, finishing with a final team score of 17 under par (847). The individual winner of the event was Ole Miss’s senior Caitlyn Macnab with a score of 12 under par (204).
Graduate student Emma Thorman finished one stroke behind Oullet, tied for 40th place with a score of 11 over par (227). Thorman was tied with six other athletes.
Freshman Mia Raines was the next best finisher for NIU, finishing in 69th place with a score of 18 over par (234).
Senior Caroline Kent finished four places behind Raines, as Kent tied for 73rd place with two other athletes, Toledo’s senior Yedam Lee and the University of Delaware’s freshman Hyunji Kim. Kent’s final score was 20 over par (236).
Freshman Dakota Tallent was the lowest Huskie in the individual standings, finishing tied for 79th place with Oakland senior Nateda Her. Tallent’s final score was 24 over par (240).
“This is a super strong field. Ole Miss has won a championship; Michigan, Michigan State and Florida have all been contenders. It gives our players a taste of that next level golf,” said NIU head coach Kim Kester via NIU Athletics. “We gave some shots away yesterday and got some back today. They handled the conditions well with how much it rained yesterday and how the course played today.”
The Huskies’ next event will be the Diane Thomason Invitational on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at the Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City, Iowa. The event will be hosted by the University of Iowa.
