The Valparaiso University women’s golf team teed off the 2017-2018 season on Sunday, participating in the Redbird Invitational hosted by Illinois State University in Normal, Ill. The Redbirds welcomed the Crusaders as a late addition to the field after Valpo’s initial plans of partaking in the Golfweek Program Challenge in Pawleys Island, S.C. were scrapped when the event was cancelled due to Hurricane Irma. Instead of the initially-planned 18 holes on Sunday, the Crusaders cranked up the season with a full day of golf that featured 36 holes.

How It Happened

• Junior Madison McCreary (Batesville, Ind. / Batesville) posted the team’s best score of the day when she turned in a 76 in the second round, bettering her first-round output by 10 strokes. McCreary finished the second round at 162 (+18), which ranks second on the team and is tied for 46^th overall.
• The only Crusader ahead of McCreary is senior Kiana Jongsma (Dyer, Ind. / Lake Central), who enjoyed a consistent day, posting a 79 in Round 1 and an 80 in Round 2. She heads into Round 3 at 159 (+15), tied for 39^th overall.

Inside the Rounds

• Freshman Shelby Schier (Greenwood, Ind. / Center Grove) made her Crusader debut, competing in her first collegiate tournament.
• The Crusaders made a six-stroke improvement from the first round to the second round, finishing Round 2 at 323 (+35).
• Valpo had 12 birdies as a team, led by Jongsma with five.
• The tournament field includes five Missouri Valley Conference squads – Illinois State, Bradley, Southern Illinois, Loyola and Valpo.

Thoughts from Head Coach Jon Haas

“The team showed a lot of toughness, playing better in the second round. I’m hoping this is a breakout round for Madison and we start seeing those scores in the 70s more consistently. Madison is starting to settle in and her confidence is continuing to grow.”   

Up Next

The third and final round of the tournament will take place on Monday in Normal, Ill. A link to live scoring is available on ValpoAthletics.com.