Stars edged by Texas Wesleyan in SAC Championship
OKLAHOMA CITY – Three all-tournament performers led Oklahoma City University to a runner-up finish in the Sooner Athletic Conference women’s golf championships Sunday at Lincoln Park Golf Course. Texas Wesleyan won its first SAC title while OCU saw a six-year reign as conference champs snapped.
Savannah Moody took tournament runner-up to propel the Stars, ranked 13th in the NAIA. Melissa Eldredge and Arianna Medina of OCU collected all-tournament nods.
Moody tied for second with a 76-75–151. Moody, a senior from Aledo, Texas, ended four strokes off the individual pace. Moody nailed five birdies Sunday and finished with 23 par scores.
Eldredge, a sophomore from Eufaula, turned in a 77-77–154 to tie for fifth place. Eldredge sank a birdie on the par-4, 321-yard 14th hole Sunday to have four birdies for the tournament. Medina, a freshman from Phoenix, posted a 76-78–154. Medina, playing as an individual, topped the field with six birdies.
Oklahoma City finished with a 310-311–621 on the par-72, 6,020-yard course. Fifth-ranked Texas Wesleyan was seven shots better with a 305-309–614. The Stars captured the last six conference championships and 15 of the past 18 SAC titles. Texas Wesleyan’s Alex Schies won the SAC individual crown for the second consecutive year.
The Stars’ Emma Allen took 10th with a 77-79–156. Allen, a senior from Broken Arrow, made par 22 times with two birdies. McKenzie McCoy, a freshman from Beggs, placed 15th with her 81-80–161. McCoy knocked in three birdies.
Clair Hill produced an 80-82–162 to tie for 16th. Hill, a freshman from Gig Harbor, Wash., had two birdies. Other Stars playing as individuals were Loren Matrone and Regan McQuaid. Matrone, a freshman from Frisco, Texas, carded a 76-84–160, which tied for 13th. McQuaid, a junior from Tulsa, had a 77-87–164 to tie for 20th.
Texas Wesleyan picked up the conference’s automatic berth into the NAIA Championships on May 22-25 at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The defending national champion Stars will look to get an at-large bid when the national-tournament qualifiers get announced May 10.
The weather included 40-degree temperatures at the start of the round. Temperatures climbed to the mid-50s by mid-day and the upper 50s by the end of play. The wind blew at 25 mph with 30 mph gusts. Rain fell on the course briefly close to mid-day.
TOURNAMENT AWARDS
Medalist
Alex Schies, Texas Wesleyan
All-tournament
Savannah Moody, Oklahoma City
Jaci Trotter, Texas Wesleyan
Marina Gallegos, Wayland Baptist
Andi McGill, Southwestern Christian
Trudy Allen, Texas Wesleyan
Melissa Eldredge, Oklahoma City
Elena Sinde Romero, Texas Wesleyan
Arianna Medina, Oklahoma City