NIU women’s golf: Huskies settle for 10th with MAC Championships on horizon

By Patrick Smith

Women’s golf placed 10th out of 13 teams Tuesdayat their last regular season tournament.

The Huskies finished the Gary Crossley Ford Kansas City Shootout in Kansas City, Mo., with a score of 938, which tied them with Arkansas State for 10th place. They finished 62 strokes behind Middle Tennessee State, which won the tournament with a score of 876.

“We didn’t have a great tournament,” said head coach Kim Kester. “We will use these two weeks off to work on hitting more greens and getting fewer puts in preparation for the MAC Championships.”

Freshman Hayley Mortensen tied for 25th with teammate Lena Gautier. They posted a score of 232: Mortensen (75, 78, 79) and Gautier (73, 79, 80).

Mortensen and Gautier finished 15 strokes behind Middle Tennessee State’s Allie Knight and Samantha Gotcher, who carded a 217 and were co-champions in the event.

The Huskies’ next match will be the MAC Championships from March 24-26. The Huskies and eight other MAC women’s golf teams will compete at Shaker Run Golf Club in Lebanon, Ohio, with tee times at 7 a.m.

“It will be interesting,” Kester said. “We haven’t played the course yet, but we’re prepared to have a good tournament. We’re absolutely confident that we will do well at the MAC [Championships], and we will be looking to see our players’ hard work pay off.”

Individual results

Tied for 25th: Hayley Mortensen, 232 (75,78,79) for 16 over par

Tied for 25th: Lena Gautier, 232 (73, 79, 80) for 16 over par

Tied for 45th: Sydney Brickey, 239 (78, 79,83) for 23 over par

Tied for 57th: Connie Ellett, 240 (83, 76,81) for 24 over par

Tied for 67th: Sam Coyne, 245 (79, 78,88) for 29 over par