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OWENS CROSS ROADS, Ala. – In a wild final round where the team lead changed hands multiple times through, the Eastern Kentucky Colonels overcame a four-shot deficit entering the day to defeat Jacksonville State by a shot to win the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Championship at The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Hampton Cove just outside Huntsville.
It marked the third overall OVC Championship for Eastern Kentucky, joining titles the Colonels won in 1996 and 2013. The comeback victory for EKU was fitting as the Colonels held a six-shot lead entering last year’s OVC Championship before ultimately falling by two strokes. Eastern Kentucky also topped Jacksonville State by a shot in 2013.
With the victory, Eastern Kentucky earned the OVC's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship. The 2015 field will be announced on Monday, April 27 on the Golf Channels' Golf Central program that airs from 6-7 p.m. CT. The NCAA Regionals will be held May 7-9 and take place in Raleigh, North Carolina, San Antonio, Texas, St. George, Utah and South Bend, Indiana. Following the Regionals the National Championship will be held May 22-27 at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.
Eastern Kentucky finished with a three round total of 902 (+38) which was one shot better than Jacksonville State (+39) and 12 shots better than Tennessee Tech in third place (+50). Belmont (+54) was fourth and followed by Morehead State (+56), Murray State (+60), Austin Peay (+78), SIUE (+105), Eastern Illinois (+116) and Tennessee State (+177).
After placing fifth at the OVC Championship as a freshman,
Sofie Levin topped the field by a stroke this season with a four-under round of 68 on Wednesday; the round of 68 tied her own school record for lowest single round. Levin finished the event with a 54-hole total of 217 (+1), which was the second-best 54-hole total in OVC history. Overall it marks the sixth time an EKU golfer has claimed the top prize at the OVC Championship, joining Beverly Brockman (1994, 1996, 1997), Brittany Klein (2005) and Kristen Dorsey (2013). The sophomore entered the final round in fourth place before carding three birdies on the front nine and a pair on the back to claim the title. Her biggest shot, however, came after finding water on the 16th hole during the final round, as she followed that by holing out from 100 yards out on the next shot to save par.
Morehead State sophomore
Anna Magnusson was voted OVC Player of the Year by the league head coaches following the final round. The All-OVC selection finished the tournament with a league-best stroke average of 75.6 over 29 rounds this season including four top five finishes. She is the fourth Morehead State golfer to be voted OVC Player of the Year over the last five seasons joining Emma Jonsson (2011), Marisa Kamelgarn (2012) and Anna Appert Lund (2013).
The All-Tournament Team, which is comprised of the top five finishers (including ties), included Levin, Murray State’s
Minta Yin, Tennessee Tech’s
Whitney Robertson, Magnusson, Eastern Kentucky’s
Emilie Simmons and Jacksonville State’s
Melania Bajo Geijo.
Eastern Kentucky head coach
Mike Whitson was named the Bobby Nichols OVC Coach of the Year in a vote of league head coaches. The award is named in honor of the late Nichols, the former Tennessee Tech golf coach and OVC Hall of Famer. It marks the second time he has been named OVC Coach of the Year (he also won in 2013). Overall three different EKU coaches have won the award a total of five times.
EKU finished with three golfers in the top 13 overall with Levin winning, Simmons finishing in a tie for fifth (225, +9) and
Becky Sharpe finishing 13th (230, +14).
Jacksonville State finished in the top two at the OVC Championship for the ninth time in the past 12 years. The Gamecocks barely missed a putt on the final hole of the tournament that would have tied the Championship and forced a sudden death playoff. Bajo Geijo led the way with a 54-hole score of 225 (+9) to finish tied for fifth while
Maya Parsons and
Natalia Azcue tied for ninth at 229 (+13). Parsons finish was especially impressive considering she overcame a first round score of 85 (+13).
Tennessee Tech finished third overall, its first top three finish since the 2009 season. After identical team totals of 304 in the first two rounds the Golden Eagles finished with a score of 306 on Wednesday. Robertson, the leader after each of the first two rounds, finished with a 76 (+4) during the final round to finish three shots behind the medalist at 220 (+4).
Maddi Everts was eighth overall with a score of 228 (+12).
Belmont jumped from sixth to fourth during the final round which marked its best finish at a conference championship in six years.
Katie Story improved her score each of the three rounds, completing the Championship with a final round of 73 (+1) to finish in seventh place with a score of 226 (+10).
Evin Edens was three shots back in ninth place.
Magnusson, the Player of the Year, led the Morehead State attack with a 54-hole total of 221 (+5) which put her fourth overall, four shots behind the medalist.
After identical rounds of 74 to start the Championship, Yin carded a 2-under round of 70 on Wednesday to finish second overall, one shot behind the medalist. She had one of just three under par rounds during the final round.
Jessica Cathey and
Morgan Kauffman each had rounds of 76 (+4) on Wednesday to leads the Lady Govs attack. Cathey finished 16th overall while Kauffman was 17th.
SIUE’s
Madison Frerking and
Molly Marcum each carded final rounds of 81 to finish in a tie for 31st place.
Eastern Illinois was led by
Chloe Wong on Wednesday who fired a final round score of 82; she was the Panthers top finisher for the tournament, finishing at 238 (+22).
Natalie Spicer finished out the Championship for Tennessee State with a final round 87 to finish 42nd overall.
For the week the course played 6,050 yards and was a par 72.
The OVC men's golf championship is next on the schedule and will take beginning Friday morning at the Robert Trent Jones Trail at The Shoals in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
OVC All-Tournament Team
Sofie Levin, Eastern Kentucky (MVP)
Minta Yin, Murray State
Whitney Roberson, Tennessee Tech
Anna Magnusson, Morehead State
Emilie Simmons, Eastern Kentucky
Melania Bajo Geijo, Jacksonville State
Bobby Nichols OVC Coach of the Year: Mike Whitson, Eastern Kentucky
OVC Player of the Year: Anna Magnusson, Morehead State
OVC Freshman of the Year: Jeanette Petersen, Morehead State