Great Lakes Wire

The NMU Women's golf team concluded its 2024 regular season with a significant victory at the Lewis Spring Flyer Invite, held in Romeoville, Illinois. The team finished first among seven competing teams, with an outstanding individual performance by Maya Hunter.

The Wildcats posted a score of 652 (320, 332), surpassing the second-place Quincy Hawks by six strokes to secure the title. Hunter was a standout player throughout the tournament, maintaining her composure during the second round. She achieved a total score of 149 (75, 74) and recorded five birdies over the weekend. After finishing day one in second place, just one stroke behind the leader, Hunter made substantial progress on day two to claim victory by six strokes.

Alyssa Yaggie finished as the second-best performer for NMU and placed 10th overall with a two-day score of 166 (78, 88). Maggie Pietila followed as NMU's third-best player and ranked 13th individually with scores of 81 and 87, totaling 168. Hailey Bolander closely followed with a score of 170 (87, 83), tying for 15th place. Payton Donnelly completed NMU's team scoring in a tie for 26th place with scores of 86 and 88, totaling 174.

In the individual category, Payton Dube scored rounds of 91 and 97 for a total of 188. The Wildcats excelled in par three scoring with an average of 3.20 and secured second place in par four scoring with an average of 4.65. Hunter excelled on par fours and fives, while Donnelly performed evenly on par threes to achieve the best mark at the meet.

Looking ahead, the Wildcats will travel to Augusta, Michigan for the GLIAC Championship in two weeks. They aim to secure a top-four position to qualify for the NCAA Regional Championships. The GLIAC tournament is scheduled from Friday, April 19 through Sunday, April 21 at Stoatin Brae Golf Club.