Falcons Fly Away with the Redbird Invitational Team Title

Monday, September 7

Normal, Ill.

All Day

Bowling Green State University

Redbird Invitational

September 07, 2015 | Women's Golf

Falcons post top-two team records for 18-hole and 54-hole tournament scores

By: by Kevin Davis, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

Final Results of the Redbird Invitational
Final Results at www.BirdieFire.com

Normal, Ill. – The Bowling Green State University women's golf team carded a tournament low team round of 293, +5, over the final round of play on Monday to fly away from the rest of the tournament field to claim the team championship at the 2015 Redbird Invitational hosted by Illinois State University at the Weibring Golf Club in Normal, Ill.

The Falcons won the team title out of the 16 team field by eight strokes, carding rounds of 308, 304 and 293 for a combined 54-hole team score of 905, +41. BGSU's team score of 905, +14, is the second lowest 54-hole team score in the program's history, only behind the Falcons' 54-hole score of 903, +12, at the 2013 Redbird Invitational.

BGSU's third round score of 293, +5, is tied for the second best 18-hole team score by a Falcons' team in the program's history. In fact, the five shots over par (+5) on Monday is the closest to par that a BGSU team has been in a single round in program history, matching the Falcons' round of 293, +5, at the Redbird Invitational in 2013. The Falcons' lowest all-time 18-hole team score of 288 at the Great Smokies Intercollegiate was eight over par (+8) at the par 70 golf course.

"I'm most proud of our team and the attitude that they had. They played for the team and for each other, and that sets the tone for the year," stated head coach Stephanie Young. "This is flat out the best that I've even seen them execute under pressure as it was really tight. It all kind of came together where we had the opportunity and we were able to execute under the pressure."

The Orange and Brown finished ahead of both Northern Illinois and Bradley, who finished tied for second-place overall with matching team scores of 913, +49.

Juniors Fran Rodriguez and Mikayla Baer led the Falcons on the final day of play, as each not only turned in career low rounds over the 18 holes of play on Labor Day, but each also turned in the lowest 54-hole tournament scores of their Falcon careers at the three round tournament.

Rodriguez finished the tournament the way she started, matching her career-low round of 73, +1, to finish in fifth-place overall. The Texas native turned in rounds of 73, 75 and 73 to finish with a 54-hole score of 224, +8, a career-best as a Falcon. Rodriguez totaled eight birdies and 31 pars over the three round event and finished second overall in the entire tournament field with a par 4 scoring average of 4.07, +2.

Baer had a career day on Monday, as the junior carded a career-low round of 71, -1 under par. She shot rounds of 78, 79 and 71 to finish in a tie for ninth-place overall with her 54-hole score of 228, +12. Baer matched Rodriguez with a team-high eight birdies and led the entire tournament field with a par 4 scoring average of 3.90, -3 under par. The Ohio native's round of 71 is tied for the eighth lowest 18-hole score in BGSU history and is the lowest 18-hole score by a Falcon since fellow teammate Lily Bartell carded a round of 69 in 2013-14.

Senior Hannah Lewis finished just out of the top-15 with a 16th-place finish overall with her 54-hole score of 230, +14. With rounds of 75, 75 and 80, Lewis matched her career-low 54-hole score of 230 which she set with identical scores at the Redbird Invitational in 2013.

Bartell tallied a final round 77, +5, on Monday to finish in a tie for 17th-place overall for the two-day event. The senior carded rounds of 82, 72 and 77 to finish the season opening tournament with a 54-hole score of 231, +15.

Freshman Erin Fahey saved her best for last in her first-ever intercollegiate tournament, as the newcomer shot a final round of 72, even par, to help push the Falcons to the team victory. In her first event for the Orange and Brown, Fahey registered rounds of 83, 79 and 72 to place in a tie for 29th-place overall with her 54-hole score of 234, +18.

BGSU finished ahead of fellow MAC schools Northern Illinois (T-2nd, 913), Ohio (5th, 926) and Ball State (T-13th, 953).

The first-place team finish to start the 2015-16 season marks the fourth straight year in which the Falcons have won at least one event on the season. BGSU won the Jon P. Speiss Memorial last fall and also won the Cleveland State Invitational in the fall of both 2013 and 2012. The Falcons also took first-place overall at the Butler Fall Invitational in 2012.

Bowling Green will look to carry over its strong start to the 2015-16 season when the Falcons return to the links for competition this weekend, Sept. 12-13, at the Diane Thomason Invitational hosted by the University of Iowa at the Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City, Iowa.

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1st – Bowling Green – 308, 304, 293 = 905, +41
5. Fran Rodriguez – 73, 78, 73 = 224, +8
T9. Mikayla Baer – 78, 79, 71 =228, +12
16. Hannah Lewis – 75, 75, 80 = 230, +14
T17. Lily Bartell – 82, 72, 77 = 231, +15
T29. Erin Fahey – 83, 79, 72 = 234, +18