The University of Illinois Springfield women's golf team will head north this week for the 25th annual GLVC Women's Golf Championship The event will be hosted at Oakwood Country Club in Coal Valley, Ill. for the first time.
The GLVC Championship features a 54-hole stroke play event where the individual medalist will be awarded. The top-four teams after stroke play will then compete in medal/match play to determine the team champion. A total of 36 holes are played on Friday, April 26, followed by 18 holes on Saturday, April 27. The semifinals and finals of match play will take place on Sunday, April 28.
The Prairie Stars were the medal/match play champions in 2023, stopping the UIndy Greyhounds from winning their eleventh-straight GLVC title.
On their way to the 2023 title, the Prairie Stars finished third in stroke play to nab a semifinal spot. UIS would then down UMSL in the match play semifinals to advance to finals for the first time in program history. Heather McLean, paired with the 2022 GLVC Champion, led her opponent for all 18 holes of the match play finals and won 72-79 in a crucial third match.
Bobbi Uhl, who trailed for 16 holes in the final, was faced with a seven foot putt that ultimately won the championship for the Prairie Stars.
The Prairie Stars returned three members of last year's lineup in Elaine Grant, Sara Prieto, and Isabelle Segal. UIS finished 3rd-of-7 at the Flyer Invitational and 8th-of-16 at the UMSL Spring Invitational to close out the 2024 regular season.
Elaine Grant finished third at the Flyer Invitational and seventh at the UMSL Spring Invitational. Both events featured conference opponents from top-50 nationally ranked teams. Grant ranks No. 194 in NCAA DII and No. 26 in the East Region as an individual.
UIS women's golf is just inside the top-100 of the Clippd women's golf rankings, landing at No. 95 at the end of the regular season. Conference opponents No. 99 Drury, No. 101 Maryville, and No. 123 Lewis trail the Prairie Stars.
The top-five finishers in stroke play will make up the first half of the All-Conference squad. The remaining five positions on the All-Conference team, along with Player, Freshman, and Coach of the Year awards, as well as the individual and team winner of the James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award, will be announced following a coaches' vote prior to NCAA Regional competition.
The tournament will be live streamed for free on the GLVC Sports Network (GLVCSN).
Admission is free for fans that would like to attend in person. A limited number of spectator carts are available to rent on a first-come, first-served basis. Availability is subject to change based on course conditions.