North Central College: Golf and Lacrosse Highlights

Submitted by North Central College

Men’s Golf

Taking advantage of ideal playing conditions to post some of its best numbers of the spring, the men's golf team turned in an 11th-place finish in the 22-team Augustana College Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Pinnacle Country Club.

After turning in a score of 327 in Friday's opening round, the Cardinals were one of many teams going low on Saturday, totaling a 313 for their best round of the spring and their third-best effort of the academic year. North Central's total of 640 placed it ahead of Augustana, as well as fellow College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) rival Elmhurst College. Another CCIW representative, North Park University, was just one stroke ahead of the Cardinals.

Illinois Wesleyan University won the event with a 36-hole total of 593, while the University of Dubuque was second with 604. Illinois Wesleyan's Shane Smith, Dubuque's Martin Odegard, and Ashford University's Dan Balgooyen tied for individual medalist honors with identical two over-par scores of 146.
The Cardinals were paced by Cole Oosthuizen, who placed 42nd with a score of 159. Oosthuizen bounced back from an opening-round 83 with a 76 on Saturday for his best round of the spring.

Shane Kunz placed 53rd for North Central with a score of 161, while Karl Schlichtingfinished 59th (162) and Gavin Corrigan was 63rd (163). Schlichting's three over-par 75 on Saturday is the lowest round by any Cardinal this spring.
North Central travels to Piper Glen Golf Club in Springfield, Ill., on Saturday and Sunday for the Illinois College Blueboy Invitational. Play is scheduled to begin at noon on Saturday and 8:30 a.m. on Sunday. 

Women’s Golf

Competing against a field stacked with nationally-ranked opponents for the second straight week, the North Central College women's golf team held its own Friday and Saturday at the Illinois Wesleyan University Spring Fling, placing ninth out of 18 teams at Ironwood Golf Course.

The Cardinals turned in a score of 334 after Friday's first round before shooting a 348 on Saturday as windy conditions contributed to higher totals across the board. North Central's 36-hole score of 682 placed it ahead of three of the 10 nationally-ranked NCAA Division III programs in the competition.

Third-ranked DePauw University (Ind.) won the tournament with a score of 634, finishing three strokes ahead of the runner-up squad from fourth-ranked Centre College (Ky.) DePauw's Taylor Beaty won individual medalist strokes by four strokes, finishing with a score of 152.

North Central was paced by Mallory Carr, who finished 13th overall with a score of 163 and shot the Cardinals' low 18-hole round of the tournament on Friday, posting a 79.Marisa Miko finished 24th with 167, while Alayna Dufour placed 56th (177) and Mary Kate Rohn finished 61st (178).

The Cardinals travel to The Rail Golf Course in Sherman, Ill., on Saturday and Sunday for the Prairie Stars Shootout, hosted by the University of Illinois-Springfield. Play is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on both days.

Women’s Lacrosse

The North Central College women's lacrosse team moved one step closer to locking up its second straight Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference (MWLC) Tournament bid on Sunday, taking over sole possession of third place in the MWLC standings with a 17-6 victory over the College of Mount St. Joseph (Ohio) Lions at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.

The Cardinals (5-7, 3-1 MWLC) broke the contest open late in the first half by scoring six unanswered goals in the final 10 minutes. Owning a 3-2 advantage, North Central started its game-deciding rally when Caroline Gully (Jr., Barrington, Ill./Barrington) scored on an assist from Danielle Fiala (Jr., Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) with 9:59 on the clock. Fiala would go on to score the final three goals of the half, including one with just 10.9 seconds remaining, to send the hosts into halftime with a 9-2 advantage.

North Central held the Lions (3-6, 2-2) scoreless for a 16-minute stretch in the second period, extending its lead to 13-3 on a goal by Fiala with 13:46 remaining. The Cardinals led by at least eight goals the rest of the way.

Fiala tied a single-game career high with six goals, giving her 39 for the season and 97 in her collegiate career. Fiala is now one goal shy of matching teammate Amy Frazzini (Sr., Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) for the North Central career record and is two goals short of the single-season school record of 41 set by Frazzini in 2010.
Gully scored three goals and finished with a game-high six draw controls, whileJacqui Morgan (Jr., Afton, Minn./Stillwater Area)  recorded eight ground-ball pickups and shared the team lead in turnovers caused with Rachael Houp (So., Inverness, Ill./Palatine), as each had three.

North Central resumes MWLC play on Saturday, traveling to St. Louis, Mo., to face Fontbonne University (0-9, 0-5). Play is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.