Oilers Earn 3rd Straight Trip to Nationals
The University of Findlay women's golf team is headed back to the NCAA Division II National Championship for the third consecutive season as they took third at the East Regional, which wrapped up on May 4 at the Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Ill.
The Oilers posted a 54-hole score of 921 (304, 307, 310), the second-lowest three round score in team history, and were led by senior Kasey Petty and her runner-up finish.
Petty posted a 2-over par score of 74 during the final round and ended the tournament by tying her own school record with a 54-hole score of 215. She carded a school record 5-under par score of 67 on the first day of competition and then ended the tournament with 74's on the second and third days to finish 1-under par at the event.
Petty came up two strokes shy of Ashland's Ali Green, who won the tournament with a 3-under par score of 213 (70, 69, 74). The Groveport, Ohio native led the field with 11 birdies at the event. As a team, the Oilers fired a tournament-best 27 birdies.
Junior Shelby Warner also had a stellar tournament and finished in a tie for eighth with a 54-hole score of 225. She carded a 73 in the first round, a 77 in the second round and closed the tournament with a 75 on Wednesday to finish 9-over par. She finished third at the tournament with eight birdies and her three-round score of 225 was the fourth-lowest mark in school history.
Freshman Samantha Hatter tied for 18th at the tournament after posting a 236. She got better as the tournament went on with scores of 81, 78 and 77 during the three rounds of competition.
Sophomore Kelsey Koesters tied for 36th with a 245 (83, 81, 81) while freshman Makenzie Torres tied for 43rd with a 248 (84, 82, 82).
Indianapolis, who won the NCAA DII title last season, claimed first place at the regional tournament. They will join Findlay and Grand Valley State as the representatives from the East Region at the 2016 NCAA Division II National Championship. The championship event will be held at the CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora, Colo. The tournament will run from May 18-21.
The Oilers first qualified for the NCAA DII National Championship during the 2014 campaign. They finished seventh at the event, which was held at the Rock Barn Golf and Spa in Canover, N.C. that first time. Findlay then took eighth place at the 2015 NCAA DII National Championship at the Meadows in Allendale, Mich. and were led by Petty, who took ninth place. For her efforts, Petty was named a NCAA DII All-American, the first time an Oilers golfer had ever received the honor.