The Valparaiso University women’s golf team started the tournament on the right foot with its lowest round of the season on Sunday, and eventually ranked second after one day in the five-team Fort Wayne Spring Classic. Katie Willenbrink (Mishawaka, Ind. / Penn) competed as an individual and had the best day of any Crusader. Three Crusaders enjoyed season-best performances, two of which achieved career bests.

How It Happened

• The Crusaders posted a 306 in the opening round, then rounded out their first day of competition with a 316 in Round 2.
• Willenbrink carded a 78 in the first round, then made a four-stroke improvement to a 74 in Round 2. She sits in fifth place overall.
• Angie Kim (Schaumberg, Ill/ Fremd) finished the first round with an 81, but rebounded with a 74 in Round 2 to finish the opening day at 155.
• Kylie Shoemake (Schererville, Ind. / Lake Central) posted a 73 in the first round, then an 82 in Round 2. She is currently second on the team out of the No. 5 position with a Day 1 total of 155. Shoemake and Kim are tied for eighth overall.
• Kiana Jongsma (Dyer, Ind. / Lake Central) also got off to a strong start with a 74 in the first round. She stroked an 83 in Round 2 to finish the day at 157, tied for 12^th overall.
• Madison McCreary (Batesville, Ind. / Batesville) had a 78 in Round 1, then finished with a Round 2 score of 82 to complete the first day at 180, in 16^th place.
• Tiffany Curtis (Crown Point, Ind. / Crown Point) joined Kim as Crusaders who improved from Round 1 to Round 2. She opened her day with an 84, then finished with a 78 for a total of 162, which put her in a tie for 19^th.
• Sydney Shrum (Cloverdale, Ind. / Cloverdale) joined Willenbrink in competing as an individual. She also had a solid day, carding a 77 in Round 1 and an 81 in Round 2 to finish the day at 158, in 14^th place.
• Kayla Kruger (Spring Lake, Mich. / Spring Lake) was the third Valpo player competing individually. She finished the day at 175, in 32^nd place.

Inside the Round

• The 306 in Round 1 was Valpo’s best team round this season. They bettered their mark of 309, which had stood since the WSU Cougar Cup on Sept. 20, by three strokes.
• The second round was also among the team’s five best rounds this year.
• Shoemake’s 73 in Round 1 matched Willenbrink’s mark from Sept. 20 as the best round by any Crusader this season. Shoemake established a new career best, shattering her old mark by five strokes. 
• Shrum, a senior, had her best round of the season. She finished Round 1 one stroke above her career low of 75, which was established her freshman season.
• Jongsma, a junior, broke her career watermark of 77, which had stood since her freshman campaign.
• Shrum had four birdies, finishing Day 1 in a four-way tie with three Oakland golfers for the tournament lead in that department.
• Willenbrink averaged a 4.18 on Par 4 holes, sitting in a tie for the tournament lead through two rounds.

Thoughts from Head Coach Jon Haas

“I’m really impressed with the team’s performance today from the top of the lineup through our individuals. Posting a season-best score on a cold day was impressive. Hopefully the rain holds off and we can try to make a run at Oakland on Monday.” 

Up Next

The event is slated to resume with a third round on Monday at 9 a.m. CT. However, the forecast for Monday is unfavorable. Check ValpoAthletics.com for any weather-related changes.