The Valparaiso University women’s golf team turned in an encouraging performance during the third and final round of the Loyola Fall Invitational on Tuesday in Flossmoor, Ill. Six players had scores of 82 or better, part of a solid team performance. Valpo started the day eight strokes behind Green Bay, but moved past the Phoenix to garner ninth in the team standings. The Crusaders (983) also finished ahead of Chicago State.

How It Happened

• Junior Kylie Shoemake (Schererville, Ind. / Lake Central) posted Valpo’s best round score of the tournament in Round 3, carding a 79. She finished with a total score of 247, tied for 32^nd overall. Shoemake’s third round marked a seven-stroke improvement from her Round 2 score.
• Senior Katie Willenbrink (Mishawaka, Ind. / Penn) closed out a strong showing with an 82 in Round 3 to finish with a team-best 244 in the three rounds. Overall, she checked in at t-26.
• Sophomore Kayla Krueger (Spring Lake, Mich. / Spring Lake) turned in quality production out of the No. 5 spot in the lineup, finishing at 245, just one stroke behind Willenbrink for the team lead.
• Junior Madison McCreary (Batesville, Ind. / Batesville) and senior Kiana Jongsma (Dyer, Ind. / Lake Central) also notched their best rounds of the event on Day 2. McCreary carded an 80, while Jongsma stroked an 82.
• Two of the Crusaders who competed individually enjoyed their best rounds of the event as well. Sophomore Tiffany Curtis (Crown Point, Ind. / Crown Point) finished with an 82, while freshman Grace McMinn (Omaha, Neb. / Marian) rounded out her first collegiate tournament with an 83.

Inside the Round

• Host Loyola won the team potion of the event with a 934 (+70), three strokes better than second-place Butler.
• IUPUI’s Anteta Abrahamova won individual medalist honors, shooting a 222 (+6). She beat the nearest competitor by five strokes.
• The Crusaders were just one stroke behind Omaha for eighth in the team standings, while Green Bay was a single stroke in back of Valpo.
• Valpo’s team score of 322 in Round 3 was better than Chicago State, Green Bay, Omaha and Creighton.
• Curtis’ 82 on Tuesday was her lowest round of the season, while Shoemake matched her season best with a 79.

Thoughts from Head Coach Jon Haas

“We put together a significantly better effort today, with many of our players making nice improvements from Monday’s rounds. I’m proud of the solid, balanced scoring we turned in today. If we keep it up, we can compete with a lot of teams. I look forward to seeing how the team progresses going into our conference preview event next month.”

Up Next

The Crusaders will next step onto the course for tournament play on Monday, Oct. 16 for the start of a two-day Missouri Valley Conference Preview. The tournament will be held at Sand Creek Station Golf Course in Newton, Kan.