McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's golf team secured victory at the Wartburg Spring Invite held in Waverly, Iowa, on Saturday, April 5. The 17th-ranked team demonstrated strong performance during the second round, scoring a 301 to climb to the top of the leaderboard.

Illinois Wesleyan achieved a 36-hole total score of 587, surpassing the 10th-ranked St. Kate's by eight strokes, who finished at 595. Grinnell College secured third place with a score of 600, while Illinois Wesleyan's 'B' team finished 10th with 645.

Senior Macy Ludwig from Effingham, Ill., led her team's efforts with a runner-up finish, scoring even-par 144, just one stroke behind Grace Petzold of St. Kate's. Senior teammate Jacque O'Neill, from Harbor Springs, Mich., tied for fourth with a score of 147. Senior Jadyn Spinks from Bloomington, Ill., and freshman Gigi Zera from Glenview, Ill., shared eighth place at 149. Zera notably contributed IWU's best round of the day with a one-over 73, enabling her to rise 18 positions on the leaderboard.

The team is set to compete next in the Kathy Niepagen Spring Fling, to be hosted by Illinois Wesleyan University at Ironwood Golf Course from April 12-13.

Individual performance details for Illinois Wesleyan showed Ludwig with scores of 66-78=144, O'Neill with 73-74=147, and both Spinks and Zera tying with 76-73=149. Nora Cerroni secured a 17th place with 74-78=152.

Within team rankings, Illinois Wesleyan emerged victorious with scores of 286-301=587. They were followed by St. Kate's, and third-place Grinnell, with scores of 285-310=595 and 286-314=600, respectively. Other notable mentions include Dubuque, Carleton, and Macalester, all within the top ranks.

The team's successful bid in the Wartburg Spring Invite adds to their accolades this season and sets them up positively for future competitions.