Indiana women’s golf enters postseason play this weekend as they will compete in the Big Ten Championships at Fox Chapel Golf Course in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The competition is the Hoosiers’ last shot to qualify for NCAA Regionals.
Indiana most recently played in the IU Invitational at the Pfau Course, finishing in fourth place and scoring a 903, 39-over par in one of their better results of the season.
“We were excited to see better scores to finish the season,” Indiana head coach Emily Kuhfeld said. “(The team) saw themselves compete, now we need to adjust to play with the best.”
The NCAA Regionals accept 72 teams overall, and Indiana currently ranks 147th, according to Golfstat. To qualify, the Hoosiers likely need to win this weekend, in which they would receive an automatic bid. Indiana ranks last in Golfstat among the 14 Big Ten teams competing this weekend.
Indiana has seen its fair share of Big Ten opponents throughout the season, and the IU Invitational was the best it fared in. Indiana topped Minnesota in the event and was within reach of foes Purdue and Wisconsin.
Indiana’s lineup saw constant changes throughout the season, and decisions had to be made about who will compete this weekend. Kuhfeld said she took a lot of consideration in choosing the spots.
“I really looked at how everyone played throughout the entire season,” Kuhfeld said. “Some of the ladies really stood out to solidify their spot.”
The lineup selected consists of the following six players: seniors Alexis Miestowski and Mary Parsons, junior Valerie Clancy and freshmen Aine Donegan, Beatriz Junqueira and Margaret Fernandez.
Donegan has consistently led the Hoosiers throughout the season, as she leads the team in scoring average at 72.65. Miestowski finished the season on a high note, tying for second place with Donegan at the IU Invitational and scoring a 68 in her final round. That score is tied for 11th in program history.
This weekend’s tournament consists of 54 holes of play over the course of three days. Each team will count its four best scorers of each round.
Tournament coverage will be on the Big Ten Network and the FOX Sports App.
