Oilers Turn Up the Heat on Day 2 at East Regional
Owensboro, Ky. – The University of Findlay women's golf team, ranked second in the region and 15th in the country, battled on day two of the 2019 NCAA DII East Regional held at The Pearl Club in Owensboro, Kentucky on Tuesday, May 7. After posting a 303 in Monday's round, the Oilers, just like the weather, turned up the heat as they fired a 291 (+3) to move up one spot into second overall, just six shots off the tournament lead. Findlay's score of 291 was the best team score on Tuesday, five shots better than tournament leader and Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) champion, the University of Indianapolis, and 21 shots better than Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) champion, Grand Valley State. Currently in second place, Findlay sits 28 shots ahead of the University of Illinois-Springfield which is currently in fifth. The top four teams will advance to the NCAA DII National Championship in Florida next week.
Junior Meredith Wipper showed why she has earned three consecutive all-conference honors as she paced the Oilers with a 70 (-2), the best round of any player in the field on Tuesday and the second-best score of her three-year career. Wipper, who was three under through her first nine holes, made two birdies on par 3s today, the most in the field. That was highlighted on just her third hole of the day when, on the 165-yard 12th hole, Wipper rolled her ball to an inch, narrowly missing her first career hole-in-one. After her round, the Hilton Head, South Carolina native had moved up five spots into second in the individual standings. She has a score of 145 (+1) through 36 holes.
After posting the Oilers' best score in Monday's round, sophomore Kristina Kniesly again shot well as she posted an even-par 72 on Tuesday to move into a tie for third in the individual standings. Through nine holes, Kniesly was one under with a pair of birdies. With three birdies on par 5s today, Kniesly is second-best in the field in par 5 scoring. Kniesly has a two-round score of 146 (+2).
Two-time conference tournament medalist, senior Makenzie Torres is currently in 11th in the tournament after a 73 (+1) on Tuesday after a 77 in her first round. Torres has a tournament-best eight birdies thus far, four of which came in today's second round. One of her best shots of the day also came on the par 3, 12th hole where she hit her ball to about 5 inches.
Senior Samantha Hatter bested her first round as well as she shot a 76 (+4) on Tuesday while freshman Jill Schmitmeyer shot a 77 (+5) for the second consecutive day. Those two are now tied for 20th in the field with 36-hole scores of 154 (+10).
Findlay's third and final round will be tomorrow in Owensboro. The Oilers again will be paired with Indianapolis and Grand Valley State, the top three ranked schools in the region.