The Valparaiso University women’s golf team turned in a 331 as a team in the third round of the Redbird Invitational on Monday in Normal, Ill., closing out the first tournament of the season with a 983 over three rounds. The battle for the team’s top score was tightly-contested, as four strokes separated the team leader from fourth on the squad.

How It Happened

• Junior Madison McCreary (Batesville, Ind. / Batesville) was Valpo’s top individual, finishing 55^th overall with a 247 (+31).  
• Senior Kiana Jongsma (Dyer, Ind. / Lake Central), was narrowly behind McCreary, carding a 248 (+32). She was followed closely by junior Kylie Shoemake (Schererville, Ind. / Lake Central), who totaled a 249 (+33).
• Shoemake also enjoyed Valpo’s best round of the day on Monday, stroking a 79 to close out the event.
• The fourth player in a group of bunched up Crusaders was sophomore Kayla Krueger (Spring Lake, Mich. / Spring Lake), who notched a 250, one stroke in back of Shoemake.

Inside the Rounds

• The Crusaders best performance was on Par 3 holes, where they averaged a 3.45, a better average on those holes than five participating teams including conference foes Loyola and Southern Illinois.
• Shoemake had Valpo’s best Par 3 scoring average at 3.17, tied for ninth in the field.
• The Crusaders had 15 birdies in the event, five of which came courtesy of Jongsma.
• Northern Illinois took the team title, edging out Bradley by one stroke. Bradley’s Ally Scaccia was the individual medalist.

Up Next

The Crusaders will visit another Missouri Valley Conference school for the second tournament of the season. The Loyola Fall Invitational will begin on Monday, Sept. 18, the first of a two-day event held at Flossmoor Country Club in Flossmoor, Ill.