A few weeks after a remarkable Sunday comeback to earn the Big Ten Championship, Indiana women’s golf’s season came to an end Wednesday in the NCAA Regionals. The No. 9 seed Hoosiers finished 10th place in the 12-team East Lansing Regional with an 895, 31-over par.
Indiana’s three-day score was 39 strokes worse than its 856, 8-under par performance at the Big Ten Championships. The Hoosiers finished 40 strokes behind Regional Champion University of Southern California and 32 strokes behind Pepperdine University, which placed fifth and was the last NCAA Championships qualifier in the regional.
The Hoosiers sat in ninth place after Day 1 with a 295, 7-over par. Redshirt junior Caroline Smith and sophomore Chloe Johnson paced the round with scores of 72, even par.
Indiana fell back into 10th place Tuesday, following a score of 300, 12-over par. Despite Smith carding a 70, 2-under round, no one else in the lineup scored lower than Johnson’s 75, 3-over score.
The Hoosiers’ round and season wrapped up Wednesday with another 300, 12-over round. Smith submitted another 72, even par clinic but the rest of the lineup struggled to assist in the low-scoring effort.
Smith placed 11th overall with a three-day total of 214, 2-under par. She finished 10 strokes behind University of Notre Dame’s Lauren Beaudreau, who scored 204, 12-under. Beaudreau competed as an individual and advanced to the NCAA Championships under the same qualification.
Johnson finished next up in Indiana’s lineup and 38th overall with a 224, 8-over par. Sophomore Faith Johnson tied for 53rd with a 228, 12-over par.
Senior-plus Caroline Craig was fourth in the Hoosier lineup with a 230, 14-over par. Craig was the Big Ten Champion with a 209, 7-under par performance in the conference tournament.
Senior Dominika Burdova scored an 80, 8-over par Monday before redshirt sophomore Maddie May took her spot as substitute for an unknown reason. May finished the tournament with rounds of 80, 8-over and 76, 4-over.
Indiana’s susceptibility to big scores is what spelled its demise. While ranking sixth in the field with 38 birdies in the tournament, the Hoosiers ranked last with 153 pars and were dragged down by 13 double or triple bogeys.
In similar fashion, Indiana treaded by ranking eighth with a par 4 scoring average of 4.16 but stood 11th in both par 3 and par 5 scoring average. The Hoosiers were 24-over on par 4s but suffered with scores of 18-over par and 10-over par on the less common par 3 and par 5 holes.
In head coach Brian May’s second year with the program, Indiana’s Big Ten Championship and NCAA Regional appearance exceeded expectations. Looking ahead, the Hoosiers’ only guaranteed roster losses are Craig and Burdova, both of whom are graduating.
The offseason will provide May and the program an opportunity to fortify the roster the way the coach knows best — the transfer portal. All six members of the Big Ten Championship lineup were recruited by May via the portal.
Follow reporter Will Foley (@foles24) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s golf season.
