For the fourth consecutive time this spring, the Lady Bulldogs have captured a top three finish in a tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs will await their postseason fate after securing a third-place finish April 22-23 in the GLIAC Championship Tournament in Ashland, Ohio. For the fourth year in a row, Grand Valley State won the GLIAC Championship.
“Taking third place does not satisfy the team’s thirst for the gold, but does suit our semester goals,” said junior Erin Fuchik. “We played very hard and did well in the difficult conditions on Friday.”
After three rounds, Ferris tallied a total of 1,004 strokes that put the Lady Bulldogs +140 for the tournament.
“Anything other than a win at the Conference Championship is disappointing. It was one of our team goals to win GLIAC,” said Ferris head coach Mike Mignano.
Freshman of the Year Jacqueline DeBoer led the Bulldogs with a sixth-place finish (246, +30), while freshman Emily Rohdy followed for a ninth-place finish (249, +33).
Six Bulldog golfers finished in the top 20 of the tournament.
Ferris hopes to earn an NCAA Division II Super Regional bid this week as the 2011 NCAA Division II Tournament field is announced. The Bulldogs are currently ranked No. 6 in the NCAA D-II East Region.
“We have grown a lot as team, both on and off the golf course since the fall,” said Mignano. “The ladies have been committed to their goal of playing for a National Championship in two weeks.”
DeBoer earned All-GLIAC First Team laurels after being named Freshman of the Year. Rhody was acclaimed second-team honoree and junior Blaize Baumgartner earned props as an honorable mention.
The NCAA Division II Super Regional One event is set to take place May 1-3 at Cedar Brook Golf Course in Belle Vernon, Penn.
“Getting to nationals is definitely difficult, but we will get there by continuing our conditioning, practice, and individual work outside of team practices to better improve ourselves,” said Fuchik.
The teams that place in the top three of the super regional will advance to the 2011 NCAA-II Championships hosted by Grand Valley State at The Meadows Golf Course May 11-14.