The Northern Michigan Wildcats women’s golf team began its spring season at the Saddlebrook Spring Kickoff in Wesley Chapel, Florida. The event is hosted by Walsh University and features eight teams from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and nearby regions.
After the first round of three, the Wildcats were in sixth place with a combined score of +80. Abbie Pietila led the team with a score of +18 and was the only Wildcat to record a birdie, achieving it on her opening hole, the 465-yard par five 4th. Pietila is tied for 20th after 18 holes.
Payton Donnelly followed one stroke behind at +19, placing her tied for 22nd. Aavra Relich finished at +20 and shared the team lead in total pars with Maddy Martens, who shot +23 and completed the team’s scoring lineup. Relich placed 26th while Martens was tied for 28th.
Abby Luke (+31, 36th) and Gabriella Moreau (+33, 38th) also competed as athletes eligible to contribute to team scoring. Sara Hasse participated as an individual competitor, finishing at +28 and tied for 33rd.
The tournament is played on Saddlebrook Resort’s gold course, which measures 5,953 yards as a par-72. The field averaged a score of 92.11 across 44 rounds. Marian led after round one at +23, followed by Davenport at +34 and Bethel at +44.
Sydney Hugo, ranked #50 nationally, led all players with a score of +3. Emma Weiler (#25) followed at +4 while Jordan Adam (#16) and Keara Eder (#22) each finished at +5.
The Wildcats will continue play in round two tomorrow morning. Fans can follow live scoring through Scoreboard by Clippd.
Northern Michigan Wildcats Women’s Golf competes as an NCAA Division II program affiliated with Northern Michigan University and is based in Marquette, Michigan. The team participates in intercollegiate athletics within the GLIAC conference (official website).
