Sept. 13, 2012
ST. LOUIS -
Illinois State seniors Katie Jean and Ricky Hearden were both named the Missouri Valley Conference Golfers of the Week, as announced by the league office.
Jean debuted in the season opener by topping the individual leader board at the Redbird Invitational. The tournament was held at the Weibring Golf Club in Normal, Ill. Jean finished the three-round tournament with an impressive performance of 218 (70-75-73). She tallied six birdies in the first round of play, finishing with 13 birdies at the end of three rounds. Jean led Illinois State to a third-place finish with a team score of 930 (300-315-315). The Redbirds topped MVC rivals Bradley, Southern Illinois, Drake and Evansville.
Also, in his first tournament of the 2012-13 season, Hearden won individual medalist honors at the Fairway Club Invitational in a playoff round, carding a three-round score of 219 (75-72-72). The win was Hearden's first individual title of his Redbird career. With his strong showing, Hearden led the men's golf team to a second-place finish, just one stroke out of first place. The Redbirds recorded the lowest-team scores in the first and third round, while battling windy conditions and fast greens. ISU finished above Missouri Valley Conference foes Missouri State, Drake and Creighton.
Wichita State's Rafael Becker was a co-Golfer of the Week selection with Hearden.
On Sept. 17-18, both golf teams will be back in action. The women's team will be at the Cardinal Cup in Simpsonville, Ky., while the men's team is at the Ram Masters Invitational in Fort Collins, Colo.
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