It was just too little too late this weekend for Saint Mary's, who finished second in the MIAA's NCAA qualifying tournament in Marshall, Mich.
The Belles shot the final round low score of 342 but were unable to overcome the 23-stroke deficit they faced after the first two rounds of the three-round event.
In the final round of the qualifier, senior captain Katie O'Brien led the Belles with an 81 and freshman Rosie O'Connor fired an 84.
Saint Mary's finished 22 strokes behind first-place finisher Olivet, who received the MIAA's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
With their recent successful performances in the Vassar Invitational, the Illinois-Wesleyan Spring Fling and the MIAA tournament, the Belles have a good chance of receiving an at-large bid into the national tournament by being chosen from a group of teams by an NCAA selection committee on May 5.
If the Belles are among the chosen, they will travel to Waverly, Iowa, to compete in the NCAA championship tournament May 13-16.
