NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State carded a final-round score of 293, making up four strokes on the first day leader, and closed play at the 2026 Redbird Invitational with a third-place finish in the 13-team event, hosted at Weibring Golf Club.
Alex Sparrow was ISU's top finisher at the event, taking fourth place with a three-round 218, which is tied for the 40th-lowest single tournament score in program history. Freshmen Cora Hirz and Xuan (Hazel) Gao each carded tournament scores of 225 to tie for 18th in their collegiate debuts.
ISU's final-round 293 is tied for the 36th-best single-round score in program history, while ISU's three-round 887 is the 14th-best in the storied history of Redbird women's golf.
St. Thomas – the first day leader – held on for the tournament title with a three-round 877, with Augusta (879) and Illinois State (887) remained the top three through the final round. Denver (892) and Butler (898) closed out the top five, with Eastern Kentucky (910), Northern Illinois (911), South Dakota (912), Indiana State (921), South Dakota State (924), Illinois Wesleyan (930), Northern Iowa (954), and Evansville (985) rounded out the field in the 54-hole event.
Gao had the team's best round on the final day, with an even-par 72 behind four birdies and 10 pars, with the 72 representing the 26th-best single-round score by an Illinois State freshman. Hirz' final round was a one over par 73 using four birdies and nine pars. Hirz had 12 birdies in the tournament, which were the most among the players in the field. Gao and Hirz' tournament scores of 225 are tied for the 21st-best by a Redbird freshman.
Reagan Kennedy tied for 24th over the two days, including a final-round 74 in which she had a birdie and 14 pars for her two-over par round. During the tournament she had an even-par scoring average on par three's, which is tied for the sixth-best in the field, while her 38 pars over the 54 holes are tied for the seventh-most in the tournament.
Sparrow also had a final-round 74, using two birdies and a dozen pars for her first career top-10 finish. Along with Kennedy, she had 38 pars in the tournament, tied for the seventh-most in the field, while her par-three scoring average (3.97) was the third-best in the tournament.
Cynthia Lang was ISU's fifth golfer on the day, as she finished with 11 pars and an 80, giving her a tournament score of 233, tied for 44th in the field. Playing as individuals, Claudia Weston tied for 65th with a final-round 76, giving her a 54-hole score of 244; Reagan Braker finished in 69th with a final round of 81; and Gianna White ended 75th behind a final round 89 and a three-round 260.
The Redbirds are back in action next weekend as the team travels to East Lansing, Michigan, to compete in the Mary Fossum Invitational hosted at Forest Akers West Golf Course on September 20 and 21.
