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MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. – Morehead State completed a wire-to-wire lead to claim the 2023 Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Golf Championship on Tuesday.
It marks the second title for MSU, with the other coming in 2011 in Dickson, Tennessee. The Eagles led by one shot after the first round, and seven strokes entering the final day of competition before widening the final margin to 15. The win comes after the Eagles finished second by a stroke at last year’s OVC Championship.
Morehead State finished at 905 (+41) which was 15 shots ahead of first-year OVC member Little Rock (+56). Tennessee Tech was third (+74) and followed by Lindenwood (+83), Tennessee State (+127), Southern Indiana (+143) and Eastern Illinois (+165).
With the victory, Morehead State earned the OVC's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship. The 2023 field will be announced on Wednesday, April 26 on the Golf Channel at 12 p.m. CT. The NCAA Regionals will be held May 8-10 and take place in Pullman, Washington; Westfield, Indiana; Raleigh, North Carolina; Athens, Georgia; San Antonio, Texas and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Following the Regionals the National Championship will be held May 19-24 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Morehead State’s
Ruth Tonnessen claimed medalist honors after carding rounds of 74-75-73 to finish at 222 (+6), which was three shots ahead of the field. She is the third MSU golfer to earn the honor and first since Marisa Kamelgarn in 2012.
After the final round the coaches voted Tonnessen the OVC Player of the Year. She is the fifth Morehead State player to earn that honor. She is only the second player in OVC history to be named OVC Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and win medalist honors in the same season (JSU’s Berta Sanchez in 2021 was the other).
Following the final round MSU’s
Stephanie Barker was voted the OVC Coach of the Year. It marks her second career award, with the other coming in 2011.
The All-Tournament Team, which is comprised of the top five finishers, included Tonnessean, Morehead State’s
Olivia Hensley,
MacKenzie Neal and
Tuva Isebakke and Little Rock’s
Anna Dawson and
Katja Mueller.
For the week the course played between 5,901 and 5,971 yards and was a par 72.
The OVC men's golf championship is next on the schedule, beginning Sunday morning at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
OVC All-Tournament Team
Ruth Tonnessen, Morehead State (MVP)
Olivia Hensley, Morehead State
Anna Dawson, Little Rock
MacKenzie Neal, Morehead State
Tuva Isebakke, Morehead State
Katja Mueller, Little Rock
Bobby Nichols OVC Coach of the Year: Stephanie Barker, Morehead State
OVC Player of the Year: Ruth Tonnessen Morehead State
OVC Freshman of the Year: Ruth Tonnessen, Morehead State