Posted: Sep 25, 2018

Spalding Goes Back To Back For SLIAC Women's Golf Titles

Spalding University locked up their second consecutive St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Golf Championship with a two-day score of 670 The Golden Eagles remained consistent throughout the two-day tournament, shooting a first round 334 and a 336 in the second round.

Spalding led the field from the start and for the second straight year had the top four individual finishers. One year after forcing a playoff hole Taylor Thompson stood alone at the top in the 2018 tournament. Thompson finished the tournament with a two-round score of 160, including posting the only round from any player under 80 with a 79 in the first round on Monday. Thompson held a three-shot lead after the opening round and would have to hold off her trio of teammates, all who were in the top five after first round.

Thompson saw her lead shrink to one after a birdie by teammate Beth Graham. But after three consecutive bogies, on holes 11 through 13, Thompson locked in with the individual title on the line and just five holes left to determine the champion. Thompson held a four-stroke lead with three holes to go but her round appeared in jeopardy when she found herself in the sand on the 16th hole. It took two shots to get out of the bunker, with the second shot landing pin-high to the left of the hole. Thompson showed her resolve and chipped on within two feet, limiting the damage with a bogey.

Thompson all but wrapped up the title on the dogleg 17th hole. She powered up on her drive, sending the ball beyond the turn and giving her a clear shot at the green. Her approach shot put her within ten feet of the pin, where she would putt in for a birdie. From there Thompson was able to cruise into the clubhouse with a comfortable lead, finishing six strokes better than the closest competitor.

All four Golden Eagles that competed in the tournament took the top four spots. Following Thompson at the top were Beth Graham (166) in second place, Kassidy Wallin (168) in third place, and Olivia Schmidt (176) in fourth place.

Fontbonne University took second overall in the tournament with a team score of 728. The Griffins cut nearly 150 strokes off their team score in the championship from last year, placing three players in the top seven of scoring. Maddi Vandervort led the way with a 177, finishing 5th overall. She was followed by Sammie Charpentier (179) in 6th and Hannah Householder (181) in 7th.

Iowa Wesleyan University finished third overall with a team score of 902. Hannah Lien paced the Tigers with an 8th place finish, shooting a two-round score of 183.

Eureka College picked up fourth place with a score of 968, dropping over 200 strokes from last year's team score. The Red Devils were led by Megan Masching with a 227, finishing in 17th place.

MacMurray College competed with just three players but all three finished in the top 15 individually. Kayla Dannaman finished with a team-low 188 while Lauren Anderson shot a team-best round of 88 on the second day.

After carding an opening round of 455 Westminster had to withdraw from team competition with one player unable to play in the second round action. The Blue Jays were led by Connar Hadley's 223, finishing in 16th place.

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