Kniesly / Oilers Rewrite the Record Book at G-MAC Fall Invite
Columbus, Ind. – The day belonged to the University of Findlay women's golf team, who played the final 27 holes of the 2018 Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Fall Invite on Tuesday, Sep. 18 at Otter Creek Golf Club in Columbus, Indiana. The Oilers finished with a 300 in their second round and tied a school and conference record with a 287 (-1) in the third and final round to earn their second consecutive Fall Invite trophy. Findlay's 54-hole total of 876 is the lowest in school history by 18 strokes while their 36-hole total of 589 is tied for the third-best score in school history. It was nearly a clean sweep of the top spots as Findlay players earned positions one through five with the sixth place finisher ending in a tie.
Kristina Kniesly, a first team all-conference performer and G-MAC Freshman of the Year in 2017, had a day to remember as she would earn medalist honors with the best 54-hole score in G-MAC history and the second-best 54-hole score in school history, a 214 (-2), just one shot shy of the school record set at the 2016 National Championship by two-time all-American, Kasey Petty. That score came as a result of a final round 67 (-5) in which the sophomore standout made six birdies. Her final round score of 67 set a new G-MAC record by two strokes and tied the Findlay school record that had been done twice, once by Petty in the 2016 National Championship and once by all-American Shelby Warner who shot a -3, 67 in the Dayton Fall Invitational in 2016.
Last year's conference Player of the Year and tournament medalist, Makenzie Torres, took runner-up in the event after a 54-hole score of 219 (+3) that is the fourth-lowest in school history and tied the lowest in conference history, prior to the start of the event. Her opening round 69 (-3) tied her career-best and is now the second-best in conference history behind Kniesly. Torres birdied her final two holes of the day to climb into second.
Junior Meredith Wipper took third place in the tournament after a final round 74 (+2) to close out her 54-hole score of 220 (+4), the fourth-lowest in conference history, while senior Samantha Hatter took fourth place with a 223 (+7).
Freshman Jill Schmitmeyer took fifth place in the event with a 231 (+15) and junior Samantha Kellstrom finished tied for sixth with a 232 (+16). Schmitmeyer carded a final round 78 while Kellstrom shot a 76, her best round of the tournament.
The Oilers will take the course again on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 1-2 when they head to Clarksville, Tennessee for the Austin Peay Intercollegiate Invite.