,
, and
led the Northern Illinois University Huskies women’s golf team to a top-3 finish at the Oral Roberts Spring Invite. The trio of Huskies had top-10 finishes to lead NIU to their fifth consecutive top-5 finish and sixth overall this season. The Huskies competed at the Club at Indian Springs-River, a par-72 course.
The Huskies carded an 891, just five strokes behind tournament winners’ Abilene Christian University.
“It was exciting to see final day pins after having our last two tournaments have the final day canceled,” said NIU head coach
. “All spring season, we were finishing in the top-5 or better and that momentum is leading us into the MAC championship. We were leading the field in pars after the first two rounds, and we have to continue to work to reduce the big numbers.”
Romancew (Pierrefonds, Quebec/Ecole Secondaire Des Sources) finished in third place, going three under in the final. Romancew matched her season-best round of 69 in the final round, with five birdies in the last 18 holes. Romancew was one over in the first round as she recorded two birdies before going four over in the second round of the tournament. Romance claimed her second top-5 finish this season, coming in third at the tournament with a total score of 218 (+2).
Ly (Windsor, Ontario/Holy Names) tied for fifth at the tournament, her seventh top-10 finish this season. Ly carded a 75 in the first round of the tournament which included four birdies. Ly went two under in the second round, led by four birdies to be the second Huskie to have a round under par. Ly went three over in the final round of play to card a 75 for a total score of 220.
Naro (Toronto, Ontario, Can./Hills International Golf Academy) went six over at the invite and a final score of 222. Naro finished in a tie for tenth place, her second top-10 finish this season. Naro went five over in the first round before shooting par in the second round, which included a pair of back-to-back birdies at the turn. Naro ended the third round of the ORU invite, with a birdie as she went one over in the final round. Naro has carded par at back-to-back tournaments.
(Frisco, Texas/iUniversity Prep) and
(Heiloo, Netherlands) were in a tie for 49th with seven additional golfers. Kent was seven over in her first round before going four over in the second round. Kent was the second Huskie to finish their third round with a birdie, going seven over in the final round for a total score of 234. Nijenhuis was four over in her first round, which included a trio of birdies. Carding a 78 in the second round, Nijenhuis had three additional birdies. In the third and final round, Nijenhuis went eight over par and carded a final three round score of 234.
Jóhanna Lúðvíksdóttir (Reykjavik, Iceland/Commercial College of Iceland) had an opening round birdie as she carded a 76 in the first round, her second lowest of the season. Lúðvíksdóttir added a second birdie in the second round as she shot an 82 before recording an 87 in the final round. Lúðvíksdóttir carded a 245 total score.
(Taipei, Taiwan/Taipei Municipal Heping) rounded out the Huskies, carding a 247 after three rounds. Liu was fourteen over in the first round before opening her second round with a birdie. Liu added two birdies in the third and final round as she went 79 in the final round. Liu’s score of 79 matches her second lowest round of the season.
“We are playing good golf right now and leaving everything on the course. The biggest key right now is to rest, recover, get back to full strength, and put together a strong performance for the championship,” Kester noted.
The Huskies will conclude the 2023-24 season as they compete at the MAC Championships, April 21-23 at the Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City, Ohio.
Huskie Scores
3 | Romancew | 73-76-69 = 218 (+2)
T5 | Ly | 75-70-75 = 220 (+4)
T10 | Naro | 77-72-73 = 222 (+6)
T49 | Kent | 79-76-79 =234 (+18)
69 | Lúðvíksdóttir | 76-82-87 = 245 (+29)
Individual
T49 | Nijenhuis | 76-78-80 = 234 (+18)
T71 | Liu | 86-82-79 = 247 (+31)
3 | NIU | 301-294-296 = 891 (+27)