McLean County Times

With three key players from last season's lineup returning, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's golf team will start the 2024-25 season ranked No. 8 according to the Women's Golf Coaches Association Preseason Top-25 released Friday, Sept. 6.

Reigning NCAA Division III National Champion Carnegie Mellon topped the poll with 473 points and 17 first-place votes. Emory and Pomona-Pitzer tied for second with 439 points each, while Pomona-Pitzer garnered one first-place vote. The final top vote went to Methodist, who sits tied for 17th in the poll.

George Fox is fourth on the list with 407 points, followed by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (393), Williams (363), and Redlands (328). IWU's 326 points were good for eighth place. St. Kate's and WashU round out the top-10.

The Titans welcome back a senior trio with extensive experience as well as a strong mix of returners and newcomers. Seniors Macy Ludwig (Effingham, Ill.-St. Anthony), Jacque O'Neill (Harbor Springs, Mich.-Harbor Springs), and Jadyn Spinks (Normal, Ill.-University High) competed at last year's NCAA Division III Championship. The trio, along with senior Kylie Hundman (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic), played crucial roles in Illinois Wesleyan's 2023 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championship that saw the Green and White set conference scoring records and achieve the largest margin of victory.

The Titans begin their season Sunday-Monday, Sept. 8-9, at the Redbird Invitational hosted by Illinois State University. The two-day, 54-hole event is set to be played at Weibring Golf Club and is scheduled for an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start both days.

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