Oilers In Second at DII National Championship | Seeking Fourth Consecutive Medal Match Play
Eureka, Mo. - The University of Findlay women's golf team continued play on Wednesday, May 17 in the 2023 NCAA Division II National Championship which is being held at Fox Run Golf Club in Eureka, Missouri, just outside of St. Louis. Through two round, the Oilers, who enter the tournament ranked third in the country according to the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA), are in solo second with a 36-hole score of 583 (+7) after posting a score of 291 (+3) today. The 583 has Findlay three shots behind Dallas Baptist University, is tied for the fourth-best 36-hole score in program history, and is the team's lowest two-round start to a national championship.
The Oilers are in good position to finish the stroke play portion of the event in the top eight. Through three rounds, the top eight squads will move on to medal match play which is a head-to-head format that will be seeded based on the team's stroke play finish.
Medal match play, which was initiated in 2019, pits a player on one team against a player from the other, one on one. The lowest score between those two players earns a point for their team. All five players in the lineup play and the most points wins the match.
After a shaky opening round, Findlay sophomore Mary Kelly Mulcahy rebounded on Wednesday to post the team's best score. M. Mulcahy played some solid golf, going one-under on both the front and back to finish the day with a 70 (-2). She made four birdies, a pair of bogeys, and 12 pars en route to her sub-par round. That effort vaulted her up the individual leaderboard and she now sits in a tie for 23rd overall at 148 (+4).
Senior Jill Schmitmeyer, who today was named as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Female Collegiate Achievement Award winner, also played well, posting a 73 (+1). She has a 36-hole score of 143 (-1) which is tied for the fifth-best 36-hole score in program history and has her in a tie for fourth on the leaderboard. Schmitmeyer's round was adventurous as she made six birdies, six pars, five bogeys, and a double bogey.
Two spots back is junior Gabby Woods who is tied for sixth with a two-round score of 144 (E). On Wednesday, Woods opened with a birdie, leading her to a 35 (-1) on the front-nine. She posted a 39 (+3) on the back to finish with a 74 (+2) which gives her a 36-hole score of 144 (E).
Sophomore Erin Mulcahy, like her sister Mary Kelly, rallied for a solid round on Wednesday and jumped up to T39 in the standings. E. Mulcahy was rock solid on the front nine, making seven pars, one bogey, and one birdie to go out in 36 (E). She was even through 14 holes, but two late bogeys bumped her score up to +2 as she would go on to score a 74 (+2). She has a 36-hole score of 151 (+7).
Rounding out the lineup was freshman Hayley Dye who shot an 81 (+9) on Wednesday to give her a 36-hole score of 156 (+12). That score has her in a tie for 67th.
Quotes from the Coach
I really like how consistent we were today. We fought through all 18 holes. Tomorrow, nothing changes for us. We just keep doing what we've been doing, stay in the moment, and focus on ourselves.
Findlay looks to finish tomorrow's round in the top eight in the team standings which would send them to a fourth consecutive medal match play at the national championship. Dallas Baptist and Limestone are the only other teams in the country to have made the final eight each year since medal match play was initiated in 2019.