A pair of Valparaiso University women’s golfers earned top-5 individual finishes in a 65-player field to help the Beacons garner a top-5 team finish on Tuesday’s final day of the Dayton Fall Invitational, hosted at the par-70, 5967-yard NCR Country Club in a cold and windy Kettering, Ohio. The sophomore tandem of Anna Fay (Ada, Mich. / Forest Hills) and Madison Keil (LaGrange, Ind. / Lakeland) that paced the team throughout the autumn once again topped the squad on the final day of the fall ledger.
How It Happened
- Fay boasted Valpo’s best Round-2 score with a 75 to finish the event at 155. After completing Day 1 at t-15, she barged into the top five with her performance in Tuesday’s second and final round, finishing tied for fourth.
- Fay was joined at t-4 by her teammate Keil, who carded a 78 on Tuesday to complete the event at 155.
- Ani Cy of UIndy took individual medalist honors at 151. The Valpo tandem was one stroke in back of third and two strokes in back of second.
- All five golfers in the Valpo lineup improved their Round-1 score in Tuesday’s second round. Emily Krzyzanowski (Scottsbluff, Neb. / Gering) carded an 81 to close the event at 166, while Katie Schreiner (Fenton, Mo. / Summit) made a seven-stroke improvement with an 18-hole score of 82 on Tuesday.
- As a team, Valpo improved its opening-round score by 15 strokes with a 316 in Round 2, the third-best second-round score in the nine-team field, behind only tournament champion UIndy and host Dayton. The Beacons erased an eight-stroke deficit to overtake Cleveland State for fifth while also finishing ahead of Northern Kentucky, Chicago State and Thomas More.
Inside the Rounds
- Keil had her second career top-10 finish, both this season, while Keil and Fay each enjoyed the first top-5 finish of their collegiate careers.
- This marks the first time Valpo had an individual finish in the top five of a tournament since Roslyn Leitner tied for third at the Lewis Flyer Intercollegiate in September 2020.
- This marks Valpo’s first top-five team finish in an event with more than six participating schools since the aforementioned Lewis Flyer Intercollegiate in September 2020.
- The Beacons finished third in the field in par-3 scoring at 3.63 with Fay leading the way at 3.38. Belle Brunner (Goshen, Ind. / Concord) and Keil had two birdies apiece in the tournament.
Up Next
The spring slate will get underway on Feb. 5 with the Lady Bison Classic at Bay Port GC in Panama City, Fla.