Ohio Valley Conference

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OWENS CROSS ROADS, Ala. – Eastern Kentucky capped a wire-to-wire performance in claiming its second-straight and fourth overall OVC Women’s Golf Championship on Wednesday at The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Hampton Cove just outside Huntsville.

Eastern Kentucky has now won three of the last four OVC Championships (2013, 2015 and 2016) in addition to its initial crown it claimed in 1996.

With the victory, Eastern Kentucky earned the OVC's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship. The 2016 field will be announced on Monday, April 25 on the Golf Channels' Golf Central program that airs from 6-7 p.m. ET. The NCAA Regionals will be held May 5-7 and take place in Stanford, California, Bryan, Texas, Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Shoal Creek, Alabama. Following the Regionals the National Championship will be held May 20-25 at the Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Oregon.

EKU’s team total of 888 was the lowest in OVC golf history as the team also established a new 54-hole team scoring average record of 296.0 per round, topping the previous mark of 296.67 set by the 2011 Morehead State squad.

Eastern Kentucky finished 18 shots ahead of second place Tennessee Tech (+42), a stark contrast from its one shot victory over Jacksonville State a year ago. It was the first time in four years that the event had been decided by more than two shots and proved to be the biggest margin of victory since 2008 (when JSU won by 21 shots). Jacksonville State finished in third place (+47) while the field was rounded out by Morehead State (+54), Austin Peay (+61), Murray State (+63), Belmont (+83), SIUE (+101), Eastern Illinois (+138) and Tennessee State (+208).

After grabbing a share of the individual lead after the second round, Murray State sophomore Moa Folke carded a final round 77 to capture individual medalist honors. Folke finished with a three-round total of 219 (+3) to top a pair of golfers by three shots. Her victory marked the seventh time a Murray State golfer has captured medalist honors and first since Delaney Howson in 2014.

Jacksonville State senior Melania Baja Geijo 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 74.5 over 28 rounds this season including three top five finishes; she also entered the week with the top GolfStat ranking in the OVC (197). She is the fifth JSU golfer to be voted OVC Player of the Year and first since the Gamecocks swept the award over four-straight years (2006-09).

The All-Tournament Team, which is comprised of the top five finishers included Folke, Tennessee Tech’s Allyson Dunn, Eastern Kentucky’s Anna Gleixner and Sofie Levin and Austin Peay’s Morgan Kauffman.

Eastern Kentucky head coach Mike Whitson was named the Bobby Nichols OVC Coach of the Year for the second-straight 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 third overall time Whitson 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 six times.

In addition to Gleixner, who finished second at 222 (+6), and Levin, who followed last year’s medalist crown with a fourth place finish this year (223, +7), OVC Freshman of the Year Amanda Lindahl placed sixth overall with a three round total of 225 (+9) for the champion Colonels.

After sitting in sixth place after the first day, Tennessee Tech moved to fourth after round two and finished second today after equaling the best team total of the Championship with a round 293. The second place finish was the best for the Golden Eagles since also finishing second in 2004. Dunn, the sophomore transfer, carded a round of 69 (-3) on Wednesday to jump to a tie for second overall (222, +6). Freshman Hollee Sadler finished tied for seventh overall after a three-round total of 226 (+10).

Baja Geijo, the OVC Player of the Year, capped her brilliant career by tying with teammate Valentina Giraldo for seventh place overall. The duo each concluded the Championship with three round totals of 226 (+10). The Gamecocks have now finished in the top three at the OVC Championship in all 13 years they have been members of the Conference.

Morehead State was led by All-OVC pick Linnea Scholin who tied for 10th overall after a three round score of 228 (+12). All-Newcomer selection Gabriela Villalba Arias was a stroke back in 12th place.

Austin Peay was paced by Kauffman’s All-Tournament selection as the junior fired rounds of 75-76-73 to finish fifth overall (224, +8).

Folke’s medalist performance helped Murray State to a sixth place finish overall. Sydney Trimble tied for 12th overall after rounds of 82-71-76.

Freshman Emma Kate Liu was Belmont’s top finisher each round of the Championship and finished play at her first championship with a score of 80 to finish at 228 (+12) which put her in a tie for 10th.

SIUE capped its tournament play with a pair of players tied for 28th overall. Madison Frerking had a final round score of 79 while Miranda Lidisky had an 80 to each finish at 238 (+22).

Anne Bahr carded the lowest round of the tournament for Eastern Illinois with a third round score of 77 on Wednesday; she finished in 32nd place (241, +25).

Sarah Needleman capped the OVC Championship with a final round score of 82 to post a 54-hole total of 245 (+29).

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 Monday morning at the Robert Trent Jones Trail at The Shoals in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

OVC All-Tournament Team
Moa Folke, Murray State (MVP)
Allyson Dunn, Tennessee Tech
Anna Gleixner, Eastern Kentucky
Sofie Levin, Eastern Kentucky
Morgan Kauffman, Austin Peay

Bobby Nichols OVC Coach of the Year: Mike Whitson, Eastern Kentucky
OVC Player of the Year: Melania Bajo Geijo, Jacksonville State
OVC Freshman of the Year: Amanda Lindahl, Eastern Kentucky