Falcons Finish Sixth at MAC Championships

Sunday, April 28

Nashport, Ohio

All Day

Bowling Green State University

MAC Championship

April 28, 2013 | Women's Golf

By: by BGSU Athletic Communications

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The Bowling Green State University women's golf team did not complete its ultimate goal of winning the Mid-American Conference golf championship, but did finish the 54-hole event with several major accomplishments.

First, they finished sixth, their best ending since the 2002-03 Falcons placed in the same spot.

Second, it ended the 54-hole event with a team score of 957, a school record for scores recorded during the MAC Championships.

Want more records? Easy! The Falcons' 312 on Sunday is the second-lowest MAC Championship round in school history. Only a 307 during the 2003 MAC Championships was better. In fact, BGSU's 318 in round two ranks as the third lowest 18-hole score at MACs.

Saving the best for last ... BGSU finished the 2012-13 season with a scoring average of 311.26, smashing the previous-best team average (318.57) set during the 2011-12 campaign.

Getting back to the tournament itself. Play on Sunday was moved up an hour in hopes of missing some rough weather coming through Nashport, Ohio. Great idea, but someone forgot to inform Mother Nature. Sunday featured temperatures in the 40's, high winds and a heavy downpour throughout most of the afternoon.

BGSU seems to embrace horrendous weather conditions, so as the weather continued to get worse, the Falcons continued to climb the leaderboard. BGSU's 312 on Sunday trailed only Kent State (308) and Toledo (308). That score allowed the Orange and Brown to climb one spot, passing Akron on the final day of play.

Shelby Wilson had her best round as a Falcon in the MAC Championships, recording a 74 on Sunday afternoon. Her round ranked third among the 45-player field, helping her climb from tied for 32nd all the way to 16th overall (238). Most impressive part of this feat was that Wilson battled the weather without an umbrella (she may have forgotten to pack it).

Lily Bartell had one of the most consistent tournaments in the entire field. Bartell opened with a 78 on Friday, scored a 79 on Saturday and a 77 on Sunday. The freshman finished tied for 13th and third among freshmen, with a 234 total score.

Senior Amy Ruthenberg, competing in her final round as a Falcon, recorded an 80 on Sunday. Ruthenberg was nine-over par after five holes, but played the final 13 holes one-under, including three birdies in that span. The captain finished the tournament tied for 26th (243).

Also competing for the Falcons were Patricia Holt (246, T-34th) and Bailey Arnold (246, T-34th). Holt shot 84 on Sunday, but nearly had a hole-in-one on the ninth hole for tap-in birdie.

Arnold clearly did not have the MAC Championship she envisioned when the event began, but all is not bad. The junior finished the year with a scoring average of 77.87, establishing a new record at BGSU. The previous-low was held by Shelly Binzel (78.35), set during the 2002-03 season.

Kent State won the tournament (909), followed by Eastern Michigan (937), Toledo (937), Ball State (941), Western Michigan (946), BGSU (957), Akron (965), Northern Illinois (983) and Ohio (1,007).