PALM CITY, Fla.– With their top four golfers within three strokes of each other, the Illinois State women's golf team closed the tournament in the 2026 spring opener at the 2026 Advance Golf Partners Collegiate.
Elise Fennell (77), Alex Sparrow (78), Dani Grace Schrock (80), and Reagan Kennedy (80) were neck-in-neck over the final round of the tournament, finishing with two strokes from each other.
Nationally-ranked Virginia Tech (38th) ran away with the tournament title with a 31-stroke win with a three-round score of 868. Lipscomb (899), UNCG (899), Georgia State (901), Akron (906), Appalachian State (912), Jacksonville State (914), Elon (914), Little Rock (915), Kennesaw State (924), Daytona State (927), Arkansas State (927), East Tennessee State (928), Memphis (929), and Butler (931), finished ahead of ISU's 941, with Southern Illinois (950) finishing behind the Birds.
The Redbirds return to action later in February, when the team travels to Rio Verde, Arizona, to compete in the Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational, hosted by Western Michigan at Rio Verde Country Club.
Fennell was ISU's top tournament finisher, shooting rounds of 77, 77, and 77 for a 54-hole score of 231, finishing in a tie for 41st in the strong field. She had two birdies in her final round – including her final hole of the tournament – while adding eight pars over the final round.
Schrock and Kennedy each tied for 53rd place individually, as each had a final-round 80 for a three-round score of 235. Schrock's final round had 10 pars, while Kennedy had three birdies and seven pars.
After a difficult round on Monday, Sparrow came back 10 strokes lower in the final round with a 78, as she had two birdies and 10 pars. Her three-round 244 is tied for 83rd best in the tournament field. Reagan Braker closed her tournament with a final-round 93, as she finished 96th amongst the golfers in the tournament.
