NORMAL, Ill. – In the opening tournament of the 2022-23 season, the Illinois State women's golf team stands eighth of 15 schools at the 2022 Redbird Fall Invitational after rounds of 308 and 306.
The Redbirds shot nearly even rounds of 308 and 306 for a two-round 614 and eighth place in a deep field. Butler from the Big East leads the tournament with a two-round 594, while defending Redbird Fall Invitational champion Eastern Kentucky sitting second with a 597. Loyola (601), IUPUI (601), Northern Illinois (603), Bradley (608), and Drake (611) sit ahead of the Redbirds, as there are three schools within 11 strokes of ISU. Bowling Green (615), Ball State (622), Northern Iowa (632), Indiana State (637), Evansville (638), Valparaiso (655), and Southern Indiana (671) round out the 15 schools in the tournament.
ISU is led by senior Emma Rouger and junior Kira Wolf, each of whom had a two-round 146, good for a tie of fifth in the field, while Vinisha Gunaseelan (149) is tied for ninth individually. Avalon Woodward (154) is tied for 29th, Ali Schrock 35th, Orla O'Leary 44th, and Dani Grace Schrock 70th.
Wolf had the team's lowest round of the day with a second-round 70 that included going three under par over her final 11 holes of the day. Her first round saw a birdie and a dozen pars en route to her four-over 76 over the opening 18 holes, before answering back with five birdies and 10 pars in carding a career-low 70 in the process.
Rouger opened the day with an even-par opening round where she had three birdies and a dozen pars, before coming back with a birdie and 14 pars over final 18 holes to stand within four shots of the individual lead with 18 holes to play in the tournament.
Gunaseelan opened her day with a birdie on her opening hole and used three birdies and a dozen pars to open the day with a one-over 73. She came back with a birdie and another dozen pars over the second round to finish four-over par with a 76.
Reigning All-MVC honoree Avalon Woodward shot an opening-round 76, using four birdies and eight pars to accomplish the feat. In her second round she had three more birdies with eight pars for a six-over 78.
Schrock, a second team Academic All-American in 2021-22, had two birdies and nine pars over her opening 18 holes to card a six-over 78, before coming back a stroke better – including ending her day with back-to-back birdies – with a five-over 77 to close her day.
Newcomer Orla O'Leary opened her Redbird career with an opening-round 81 with nine pars, before ending her day with 15 pars in her first 16 holes of the second round, ending the day with a three-over 75.
Freshman Dani Grace Schrock, in her first tournament as a collegiate golfer, had a rough start on her opening day, and was seven strokes over par for the first six holes, before settling in with a birdie – she birdied the 13th hole on each of her rounds – and carded rounds of 84 and 80.
The Redbirds return to action for the third and final round of the yearly event starting at 8:30 a.m. alongside Drake and Bowling Green in the shotgun start.
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