UNW Women's Golf Closes Out Historic Season at the NCAA Division III National Championships - University of Northwestern Athletics (2024)

Women's Golf 5/22/2024 6:17:00 PM David Pederson

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky.- The University of Northwestern Women's Golf team is competing in the NCAA Division III National Championships for the second time in program history this week. On October 7^th, 2023 the Eagles won the UMAC Women's Golf Championship and punched their ticket to this week's National Championships. The event began in Nicholasville, Kentucky on Tuesday, May 21^st and is a four day (consecutive) event. After the second day of competition, only the top 15 teams make the cut and qualify for the final two days of competition. For a golfer to make the cut as an individual they must finish in the top six out of the players who are not on one of the 15 advancing teams.

Day One

When the Eagles won the UMAC Conference Championship back in October, they were bundled up in hats, gloves, jackets, etc. The thought of being "bundled up" did not cross anybody's mind under the Kentucky sun on Tuesday. Northwestern, along with the other 28 teams that qualified to compete for an NCAA National Championship, were dealing with hot, difficult conditions on the opening day of play. In addition to the extremely high temperatures, there were also wind gusts that would appear out of nowhere; and if they came at the wrong time, they could wreak havoc on a player's shot. The Bluegrass state threw everything but the kitchen sink at the best Division III golfers in the country on Tuesday.

UNW finished the first day of competition with a team score of 345 (+57). The Eagles, along with the other teams, had five players compete but only the top four scores counted towards the team's total. Northwestern is currently in 28^th place and has a 28 stroke lead over Suffolk University (who happened to be in the Eagles' playing group on Tuesday). The UNW ladies are 28 strokes behind Washington and Lee who is currently in the final qualifying spot at 15^th place overall. Emory University is in the drivers' seat for a National Championship after one day of play as they shot a 295 (+7) and hold a slim three stroke lead with a lot of golf left to be played this week.

Morgan Eckman (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) was the Eagle who shot the lowest round on Tuesday. She finished with an 18 hole score of 83 (+11). Eckman, who is the reigning UMAC Player of the Year, is playing in her first ever NCAA National Championship event. After she found her bearings in the front nine, she caught fire in the back half of the round. The Eagles teed off on the 10^th hole, and after Eckman made the turn at 18, she started making moves up the leaderboard. After shooting a 45 on the front nine, Eckman shot a 38 in the last nine holes as she began to look like herself at the Keene Trace Golf Club. The freshman had five pars in the final nine holes, including a par on the ninthhole which gave almost everybody at the event a lot of trouble (she was the only Eagle to come away with a par on the ninth hole). Eckman's lone birdie of the round came on the eighth hole. After finding her stride late in the round, the Eagles' freshman standout will look to ride that momentum into tomorrow's action.

Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) got off to a great start in her NCAA National Championship debut, and would have been in the mix after the first nine holes if it hadn't been for two holes on the front nine. She had two birdies in the first half of her round (12^th and 16^th holes) but also had two sevens on 14 and 18. When Johnson made the turn, she had a solid score of +7 over par. Similar to her fellow freshman, Johnson also found her stride after the turn. She shot five pars in the final nine holes to finish with a total of 41 (+5) on the back nine and 84 (+12) overall.

Kirsten Darling (Coon Rapids, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) and Kelly Van Den Bussche (Princeton, Ill./Princeton) are two UNW seniors who have been instrumental in the resurgence of this program. They are the only two members of the team who have played in the NCAA Division III National Championships before; and it is fitting that they each shot identical scores (89 (+17)). The two may have finished with the same score, but they each arrived there in different ways. Darling got off to a blistering start. The senior birdied twice within the opening six holes of her round. Through eight holes, Darling was at +2. On the other hand, Van Den Bussche started playing her best golf after the turn. She shot par or better on the first four holes on the back nine, including birdies on holes 1 and 3.

Sondra Melby (Ham Lake, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) finished with a score of 92 (+20) and was the one Eagle who was relatively consistent from the front nine to the back nine. She shot a 45 on the first nine and a 47 on the second nine. Melby finished with two birdies, picking them up on holes 11 and 4.

All five members of the UNW Women's Golf team played solid golf on Tuesday. The Eagles' Head Coach Billy Aune will be looking for his squad to put together five consistent rounds on Wednesday's day two. Updates from the Eagles' performance in Nicholasville, Kentucky can be found on UNWEagles.com and on social media @UNWEagles.

Day Two

During the recap from day one of the NCAA Division III National Championships, the statement that the Bluegrass State threw everything but the kitchen sink at the golfers was made. We are disappointed to announce that previous statement was incorrect. The state of Kentucky took the difficult conditions to another level on Wednesday.

When the University of Northwestern Women's Golf team teed off of the first tee at 7:30 AM (ET), the weather was flawless. The sun was shining and the wind was minimal. However, as the Eagles approached the end of their second round of the week, chaos ensued. Sondra Melby (Ham Lake, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) was about to tee off on the 18^th and final hole and her teammates were on the holes behind her when every golfer was pulled off of the course due to lightning in the area. A nearly two hour delay ensued. The Eagles, along with the other competitors, were allowed a brief time to get warmed up again and resumed play. Melby and Kelly Van Den Bussche (Princeton, Ill./Princeton) were able to finish the round as Kirsten Darling (Coon Rapids, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy), Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool), and Morgan Eckman (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) were approaching the conclusion of their rounds before a downpour of rain washed over the Keene Trace Golf Club. This rainfall caused another delay before the trio of Eagles were able to complete their rounds. Once the rain came and went, play resumed and every Northwestern golfer was able to complete their second round at the NCAA National Championships.

The Eagles shot a 345 (+57) on Tuesday and shaved off a couple of strokes on Wednesday. UNW finished round two with a team score of 343 (+55) and had a two day total of 688 (+112). The Eagles were in 28^th place entering Wednesday's round and finished the day in 27^th place. UNW jumped Westminster College and edged them by three strokes. The top fifteen teams on the leaderboard will make the cut and continue their pursuit of an NCAA Division III National Championship. Northwestern did not make the cut and will bow out of the tournament after two days of golf.

Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) shot an 82 (+10) to lead the way for Northwestern on the second day of the National Championships. Based on how Johnson started her round (which teed off at 7:30 AM), it is safe to say that the freshman is a morning person. Johnson played her best golf of the tournament on the front nine on Wednesday. She had six pars in the first nine holes and was +3 at the turn. Johnson was equally as good on the back nine, picking up five pars through the first eight holes on the final nine holes. Johnson was at +6 going into the final hole of the day. For the second consecutive day, hole #18 proved to be a tricky one for Johnson.

Morgan Eckman (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) was very consistent on the afternoon; shooting a 42 on the front nine and a 41 on the back. Eckman finished the day with an 83 (+11). The freshman had eight pars on the day, including a stretch with back-to-back-to-back pars on 15, 16, and 17.

Johnson and Eckman finish the 2023-24 golf season having had made history for the Eagles. Each freshman broke the program record for lowest individual round in their rookie seasons. The two Eagles have already etched themselves into the UNW history book as the two best golfers in program history in their freshman campaigns. The future is bright for UNW Women's Golf, led by Morgan Eckman (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) and Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool).

Kirsten Darling (Coon Rapids, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) closed out her legendary Eagle career with a round of 87 (+15) in Nicholasville, Kentucky. The senior leaves UNW having contributed to two UMAC Conference Championships and two NCAA National Championships appearances. Darling shot a 42 on the front nine and picked up the Eagles' only birdie of the day on the sixth hole.

Sondra Melby (Ham Lake, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) closed out her freshman year and her debut on the national stage with a 91 (+19). Melby finished out her season with a strong back nine. She shot a 43 on the final nine holes and racked up five pars overall on the day.

Kelly Van Den Bussche (Princeton, Ill./Princeton) boasts the same resume as Darling. Van Den Bussche is a senior who has been a key contributor on both of UNW's conference championship teams and in both of their NCAA National Championships appearances. The pair of seniors have led the most successful run in program history over the past four years. In the last round of her career, Van Den Bussche ended with a 95 (+23).

The Eagles' historic 2023-24 season comes to an end. Not only did the Eagles' see the individual program record for lowest round get broken this season, the team also broke the record for lowest round by a team. In fact, they did it multiple times on their way to their second UMAC Championship in the past three years. In the fall and spring combined, the Eagles won eight events this season. UNW is saying goodbye to two tremendous seniors in Darling and Van Den Bussche. Another member who deserves to be mentioned is Assistant Coach Mattie Krause. Krause was a member of the team in the fall that broke the program record for lowest round and won the UMAC Championship (punching their ticket to this NCAA event). Krause was not permitted to play in the spring after she graduated in December and was not granted another semester of eligibility by the NCAA. However, Krause's impact on the team was evident as an assistant on Head Coach Billy Aune's staff.

UNW Women's Golf will be back on the course in the fall of 2024. See you then!