Oilers Ready for NCAA DII National Championship
The University of Findlay women's golf team will be making their third straight appearance in the NCAA Division II National Championship, which is slated to run from May 18-21 at the CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora, Colo.
The Oilers earned a berth in the championship by finished third at the NCAA Division II East Regional (May 2-4). The Oilers posted a 54-hole score of 921 (304, 307, 310) at the event, the second-lowest three round score in team history. They were led by senior Kasey Petty, who finished as the regional runner-up.
Petty tied her own school record by firing a 1-under par score of 215 (67, 74, 74) at the tournament. Her 5-under par score of 67 in the opening round also established a new school record for 18 holes.
Petty ranks sixth in NCAA Division II with a 74.46 scoring average. She was named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Player of the Year and also earned first team all-conference honors. She was recently named all-region for her efforts during the 2016 season as well.
The Groveport, Ohio native was named an honorable mention All-American for the Oilers last season after finishing in a tie for ninth at the national championship. She also earned first team all-region and first team all-conference honors during the 2015 campaign. Petty finished 12th at the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship as well.
Junior Shelby Warner, sophomore Kelsey Koesters and freshmen Samantha Hatter and Makenzie Torres will join Petty at the championship event.
Warner, who was recently named all-region as well, earned second team all-GLIAC honors for the Oilers this season. She finished in a tie for eighth place at the regional tournament with a 54-hole score of 225 (73, 77, 75), the fourth-lowest mark in school history.
Warner currently ranks 100th in the nation in scoring average at 77.62. She was a second team all-conference pick in 2015 and an honorable mention all-league selection in 2014.
Koesters will be making her second-straight trip to the national tournament. She tied for 36th at the regional with a three-day score of 245 (83, 81, 81).
Hatter, a second team all-conference pick for the Oilers in 2016, finished in a tie for 18th at the regional. She carded a 54-hole score of 236 (81, 78, 77) at the tournament.
Torres, another second team all-conference honoree for the Oilers during the 2016 campaign, tied for 43rd at the regional with a 248 (84, 82, 82).
Findlay finished the national championship in eighth place last year. They placed seventh in 2014 as well. The team will be joined by Indianapolis, who won the NCAA Division II National Championship last year, and Grand Valley State as the representatives from the East Region.
The complete list of teams and individuals participating in the 2016 NCAA Division II National Championship is listed below:
Central Region Teams
Augustana
Northeastern State
Missouri Western State
Central Region Individuals
Daniele Martinez, Central Oklahoma
Caroline Fredensborg, Arkansas Tech
Rachel Gay, Concordia-St. Paul
East Region Teams
Indianapolis
Grand Valley State
Findlay
East Region Individuals
Ali Green, Ashland
Kasey Frazier, Wheeling Jesuit
Anastasia Carter, Southern Indiana
South Region Teams
Nova Southeastern
Rollins
St. Leo
South Region Individuals
Felicia Leftinger, Florida Tech
Paloma Vaccaro, West Florida
Elaine Wood, Montevallo
West Region Teams
Tarleton State
Dallas Baptist
West Texas A&M
West Region Individuals
Erica Wang, California Baptist
Audrey Meisch, Oklahoma Christian
Sterling Hawkins, Academy of Art
For more information on the CommonGround Golf Course, where the 2016 NCAA Division II National Championship will be played, please click on the link below:
For a link to live scoring for the event, please click below:
2016 NCAA Division II National Championship Live Scoring