HARTFORD, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- Facing chilly conditions on a mostly sunny day, Aurora University fired a final-round 319 Sunday at Washington County Golf Course to put the finishing touches on an 11th Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Women's Golf Championship. The Spartans finished with a 1,305 total over 72 holes.
Aurora's rounds of 313 in round two and 319 Sunday rank as the two lowest team rounds in championship history. Marian University (1,373) placed second, while Wisconsin Lutheran College (1,412) edged Concordia University Wisconsin (1,430) and Milwaukee School of Engineering (1,438) for third place. St. Norbert College (1,481) finished sixth, while Edgewood College (1,511), Benedictine University (1,589), and Alverno College (2,027) rounded out the team scoring.
Marian University freshman
Yinan Lu carded a 78 Sunday - her fourth round of the championship in the 70s - to win the medalist race with a 310 total. As the low freshman in the field, Lu was also named the 2023 NACC Women's Golf Freshman of the Year.
Aurora placed six individuals in the top 10 of the final medalist standings, led by
Ellie Knight, who fired the round of the day Sunday with a 4-over 76 to finish in second place with a 322 total overall. She led six Spartans in the top 10 as
Avary Henry (323) finished third,
Maddie Pink (337) tied for fourth,
Natalie Schroeder (339) placed seventh,
Michelle Beggs (340) finished eighth, and
Megan Kobelt (341) tied for ninth.
The top 10 individuals plus ties were named All-Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. In addition to Lu and the Aurora sextet, MSOE's Maggie Urich (337) tied for fourth place, St. Norbert's Emma Laundrie (338) placed sixth, and Concordia Wisconsin's Lizzie Montaba and Rockford's Natalie Threatt (both 341) joined Kobelt in a tie for ninth place.
Aurora University, under the direction of head coach
Justin Wyeth, was also recognized as the 2023 NACC Women's Golf Coaching Staff of the Year. This is the eighth time Wyeth (or a Wyeth-led staff) has been recognized by the league's women's golf coaches.
With their victory, the Spartans also secured the NACC's automatic berth to the 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championships slated for May 21-24, 2024, at Keene Trace in Nicholasville, Ky.
| Rank |
Team |
Scores |
Total |
Par |
|
1 |
Aurora |
335 |
313 |
338 |
319 |
1305 |
+153 |
|
2 |
Marian |
352 |
342 |
351 |
328 |
1373 |
+221 |
|
3 |
Wisconsin Lutheran |
356 |
347 |
368 |
341 |
1412 |
+260 |
|
4 |
Concordia Wisconsin |
344 |
353 |
378 |
355 |
1430 |
+278 |
|
5 |
MSOE |
366 |
361 |
369 |
342 |
1438 |
+286 |
|
6 |
St. Norbert |
376 |
360 |
378 |
367 |
1481 |
+329 |
|
7 |
Edgewood |
379 |
384 |
374 |
374 |
1511 |
+359 |
|
8 |
Benedictine |
398 |
387 |
418 |
386 |
1589 |
+437 |
|
9 |
Alverno |
521 |
509 |
514 |
483 |
2027 |
+875 |
| Rank |
Player |
Team |
Scores |
Total |
Par |
|
1 |
Yinan Lu |
Marian |
75 |
78 |
79 |
78 |
310 |
+22 |
|
2 |
Ellie Knight |
Aurora |
85 |
79 |
82 |
76 |
322 |
+34 |
|
3 |
Avary Henry |
Aurora |
83 |
74 |
85 |
81 |
323 |
+35 |
| t |
4 |
Maddie Pink |
Aurora |
84 |
84 |
90 |
79 |
337 |
+49 |
| t |
4 |
Maggie Urich |
MSOE |
82 |
84 |
90 |
81 |
337 |
+49 |
|
6 |
Emma Laundrie |
St. Norbert |
88 |
80 |
85 |
85 |
338 |
+50 |
|
7 |
Natalie Schroeder |
Aurora |
84 |
88 |
84 |
83 |
339 |
+51 |
|
8 |
Michelle Beggs |
Aurora |
84 |
79 |
89 |
88 |
340 |
+52 |
| t |
9 |
Megan Kobelt |
Aurora |
90 |
81 |
87 |
83 |
341 |
+53 |
| t |
9 |
Elizabeth Montaba |
Concordia Wisconsin |
81 |
84 |
91 |
85 |
341 |
+53 |
| t |
9 |
Natalie Threatt |
Rockford |
87 |
88 |
82 |
84 |
341 |
+53 |