Illinois Wesleyan women’s golf stepped onto the greens as No. 11 in the CCIW rankings and soared off as No. 4. Last weekend saw the Illinois Wesleyan Fall Classic at Ironwood Golf Club from September 17-18 that doubled as the 2021 CCIW Preview. The Titans were able to walk away with a Top Five overall standing and two players in the individual Top 20.
On September 17, Illinois Wesleyan golfed an impressive 309 cumulatively, bringing them from 11th place up to seventh after round one. Day one also saw three Titans in the Top 25 individual rankings. Sophomore Lexie Onsrud sat on top of the Green-and-White’s first day with a three-over score of 75 that tied her for 14th place. A few strokes behind Onsrud was fellow sophomore Emma Thorman whose 76 stroke day put her at only four-over and tied for 18th. Freshman Jadyn Spinks also carved out a space in the Top 25, finishing in 23rd with 78 strokes.
By the end of the second day, the Titans managed to climb up to fourth place ahead of UW-Whitewater with a two-day score of 619 strokes (309-310). Washington University took over first place with a 36-hole total of 602 (306-296). WashU freshman Sydney Kuo swung an impressive three-under 69 in the first round, giving the Bears a leg up in the competition. Following WashU was Denison University with a second-place total of 607 (310-297), Grinnell College in third with 617 (307-310), and UW-Whitewater closing out the Top Five with 620 strokes (306-314).
Leading the team was freshman Macy Ludwig who matched par with a score of 72 in the second round. Ludwig’s ace swinging tied her for 13th place individually, the highest ranking Titan from this week. Also making the Top 20 was sophomore Lexi Onsrud, who tied for 15th place individually after successfully carding a 73 on the second day.
For the second time in two weeks, the CCIW has recognized a Titan as “CCIW’s Golfer of the Week.” Ludwig was awarded the title on Tuesday, September 21, making her the first Wesleyan freshman to be given the honor since 2009. As if Ludwig’s award isn’t impressive enough on it’s own, the announcement comes only a week after Thorman being given the same award on September 14.
The stellar performance by the Titans this week combined with last week’s victories at the Wartburg Fall Invitational has also caught the attention of coaches from all over the midwest. On Wednesday, September 22, the CCIW released the results of their annual coaches poll, which is meant to show the predicted rankings of every team after the CCIW Women’s Golf Championship. With less than a week to go until the start of the 2021 Championships, teams are starting to get nervous about where they’ll end up. According to the poll, Illinois Wesleyan is projected to finish in second place after the 3-day tournament at Ironwood Golf Club in Normal, IL. Carthage and Augustana are predicted to take first and third respectively, closing out the season with a respectable Top Three finish.
IWU women’s golf will return to action first from September 24-25 at the Dechert Classic tournament in Decatur, IL before returning home to host the 2021 CCIW Women’s Golf Championships from September 30-October 2.