Chris Day
ASC Sports Information
Sophomore Samantha Hall took her turn at leading the Adams State College women’s golf team posting an 86 in the third and final round of the NCAA Division II Central Regional Championships, which wrapped up Tuesday at the 6,047-yard, par-72 Hillcrest Golf Club.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies had four other scores in the 90’s and slipped back to finish in ninth place with a 3-day total of 1,078 in what was their first-ever NCAA regional team appearance. The Grizzlies posted a team score of 360 on Tuesday but were surpassed by Winona State (Minn.), which posted a 348 on Tuesday to finish eighth at 1,070.
Although Hall posted the team’s best round of the day, senior Kendall Martin led the Grizzlies overall with a 3-round total of 265, good enough to finish in a tie for 29th amongst the 49-player field. Martin carded a 93 on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, junior Kelsey McSpadden finished in a tie for 38th with a 54-hole total of 271. She carded a 94 on Tuesday.
Hall tallied a 3-round total of 274 and finished in a tie for 42nd.
Freshman Kyra Garrison and senior Codi Hegg (Colorado Springs, Colo.) finished in a 44th place tie just one shot further back at 275. Hegg tallied a 90 in her final career round while Garrison posted a 91 to conclude her rookie campaign.
Augustana (S.D.) won the tournament with a 54-hole total of 967, good for a 37-shot win over host Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.). The Vikings posted a team score of 316 and led all teams on all three days of the tournament. They and the host Golden Bears, who finished at 1,004, will be joined by Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Champion Western New Mexico as the region’s three representatives at next week’s NCAA Division II National Championships in Allendale, Mich.
Western New Mexico posted a strong 331 on Tuesday, the second best of all nine teams, and moved up to third with a 3-day score of 1,012. Mesa State, which had been in second place after Monday’s second round, slid back to fourth with a 3-day total of 1,015. The Mavericks, who struggled to a 346 on Tuesday, do have some good news in that Kristina Casillas and Jennifer Hilts earned two of the three individual qualifying spots to the national tournament. They finished sixth and seventh at 246 and 248, respectively.
Augustana’s Allie Ostrander posted a 75 on Tuesday, the lowest single-round of the entire tournament, and claimed medalist honors over teammate Maggie Leland by five shots at 235. Jill Preeshl of Upper Iowa, the leader after 36 holes, finished third at 238 and will also be going to the NCAA Tournament as the first of the three individuals not on the three qualifying teams.
Although, the Grizzlies did not shine on Tuesday, they did finish the entire season with a 341.6 team scoring average, an impressive 8.5 shots better than last year’s then school-record tally of 350.1.
The Grizzlies also had three of their four best single-season scoring averages in program history as Martin finished the year with an 85.2 scoring average, besting McSpadden’s 85.7 and Garrison’s 85.9, the program’s new freshman record.
Martin also completed her career with a new career scoring average record of 86.50 in her two seasons as a Grizzly after transferring from Paradise Valley (Ariz.) Community College. The former mark was 86.70.
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