It was records aplenty for Ball State Women's Golf Monday and Tuesday. The Cardinals set multiple school records and individual bests in their sixth-place finish at the Spring Break Shootout, hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University.
The Cardinals finished the first out of three rounds with a score of 301 Monday morning, good enough for 10th place out of 15 teams. However, Ball State shot its way to a program-low 18-hole score of 286 in the afternoon’s second round — breaking the previous record of 289.
“It certainly was not on my mind to set records,” head coach Katherine Mowat said. “But, I definitely had expectations that we would see some great scores just knowing our preparation leading up to this event and how much this course suits us.”
Junior Morgan Lewis and freshman Kiah Parrott contributed to the program record by recording individual scores of 69 apiece.
“I had no clue that I was going to see a 69, and I didn't think that we were going to break the team record,” Lewis said. “I wasn't really thinking about that, but I think that we went in with the right mindset of just going out and playing our best, and it ended up working out pretty well for us.”
Lewis’ previous best was a 72 she shot at the Cardinal Classic her freshman year.
“I haven't shot that low in quite a while,” Lewis said. “So, heading into the last three tournaments, I have a lot more momentum of knowing how well I can play, just kind of get out there and be in the same mindset as I was for this tournament.”
Sophomore Hadley Moritz lines up her ball on the green Sept. 16, 2019, at the Players Club at Woodland Trails in Yorktown, Ind. Moritz ended the third round of the cardinal classic six above par. Eric Pritchett, DN
However, the Cardinals weren’t done etching their names in the record books just yet.
At the end of Tuesday’s third round, the Cardinals set the 54-hole program record of 882 — six strokes better than what they previously set in 2013. They were four strokes shy of a fourth-place finish and defeated the rest of the Mid-American Conference schools in the field — Toledo, Akron, Bowling Green and Ohio — by at least 24 strokes.
“To learn that there were school records was a bonus, and then, the fact that those school records were several years back just made it extra special,” Mowat said. “I was coaching when we set those school records and to think that so many years have passed, it's a big deal to these athletes, to me and to this program. That illustrates that we're on a trajectory of continually getting better.”
Junior Hadley Moritz led the way, tying for 18th place with an overall score of 220. Lewis and senior Liz Kim were one stroke behind, tying for 21st with scores of 221 apiece. Parrott and senior Tiegan Taylor rounded out the team with scores of 225 and 237, respectively.
“We know that we can compete because of our mindset, the way that we've been preparing and probably, most importantly, just how well each one of the golfers on the team supports each other,” Mowat said. “We have an edge in that regard with how close this team is — how much they lift each other up and inspire each other.”
The Cardinals will look to build off of their history making performance against Eastern Kentucky March 29 in the Colonel Classic.
“We’re in a really good place to be three tournaments in,” Mowat said. “For this tournament to have experienced the success we’ve had, we're prepared for any and every tournament.”
Contact Evan Weaver with comments at erweaver@bsu.edu or on Twitter @evan_weaver7.
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