The Saint Mary’s golf team is headed back to the national postseason. The Belles twice shot 332 in the MIAA Spring Finale between Monday and Tuesday, finishing with the best cumulative score across all conference competitions this season. As a result, Saint Mary’s clinched both its 11th MIAA title and its 12th trip to the NCAA Championship via the conference’s automatic bid.
Though the Belles entered the finale with three MIAA jamboree wins in four tries, their title win did not go with a challenge. Adrian outscored Saint Mary’s in both rounds of the spring finale, making a late push for the postseason. Though the Belles entered the spring finale with a nine-stroke lead over Adrian, the Bulldogs pulled ahead by four in season scoring late on Tuesday.
With a season’s work on the line and less than nine holes remaining for all of their golfers, the Belles stormed back into position down the stretch. By the time the last golfers shook hands on hole 18, Saint Mary’s had restored its season-long lead over Adrian to seven strokes. As a result, the Belles, who finished second to Adrian on both Monday and Tuesday, clinched the conference crown.
Even tighter was the competition for MIAA Most Valuable Golfer, which goes to the individual player with the lowest season-wide score. Senior Haley Angel finished her 18th hole on Tuesday with a season total of 476, tying with Abby Fansler of Hope and Lauren Reed from Adrian. The trio moved on to a playoff, where Fansler fell out of the running after one hole. On the second playoff hole, the par-five 10th, Angel buried a birdie putt to knock off Reed and become the 10th player to win MIAA MVP in the history of Saint Mary’s golf.
Angel, who shot 82 on Monday and 81 on Tuesday, took a backseat to junior Katelyn Tokarz on the final day. Tokarz, who improved on Monday’s 85 with a team-best round of 80 on Tuesday, carded three birdies in the final round. Her last came on the par-four 15th hole, going a long way to help Saint Mary’s turn the tides against Adrian and reel in the conference championship.
Julia Lizak, the Belles’ top scorer with an 81 on Monday, posted a Tuesday total of 85 to finish ninth overall. The sophomore made a birdie on hole 18 in the second round, closing out her team’s run at conference glory. Based on her performance across the duration of the season, Lizak joined Angel on the All-MIAA First Team.
Rounding out the top 15, sophomore Amanda Melling followed her Monday score of 84 with an 86 on Tuesday, claiming 14th place. Melling’s efforts also landed her on the All-MIAA Second Team, making her the only Belle to earn such honors.
Colleen Hand, the final Saint Mary’s competitor with team implications, shot 91 on Tuesday after posting an 89 on Monday. The freshman's two-round score of 180 placed her in a share of 32nd overall. Junior Georgie Kersman competed as an individual, claiming 11th by shooting 81 on Tuesday after posting an 86 on Monday.
The Belles will now have plenty of time to prepare for the NCAA Division III Championships. The competition is set to take place from May 21-24 at the Keene Trace in Nicholasville, Kentucky. In the meantime, Saint Mary’s will await the announcement of the full championship field in May.
