Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University women's golf team will compete in the Bulldog Fall Classic at Katke Golf Club in Big Rapids, Michigan, from September 27 to 28. The tournament follows closely after their participation in the Warrior Invitational, where they finished 12th out of 13 teams with a total score of 1013 (+149) over three rounds.

The Bulldog Fall Classic features a field of 14 teams, including several from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) such as Grand Valley State, Ferris State, Wayne State, Davenport, and Saginaw Valley. Other regional competitors include Tiffin University, Ashland University, and Gannon University. National and regional rankings for these teams are based on last season's final standings; updated rankings are expected in October.

Katke Golf Club is recognized for its challenging terrain and has received multiple awards including being named a Top 100 Golf Practice Facility by Golf Range Magazine.

At the recent Warrior Invitational, Maddy Martens led NMU with a three-round total of +27 (243), finishing tied for 34th place among 78 golfers. Freshman Aavra Relich followed with +37 (253), placing tied for 51st in her first collegiate event. Abbie Pietila was one stroke behind Relich at +38 (254), ending up in 55th place after an improved final round.

Last year at the Bulldog Fall Classic, NMU placed eighth out of eleven teams. Hailey Bolander tied for 37th individually while Payton Donnelly finished in 58th place. For many current Wildcats players, this will be their first appearance at Katke Golf Club.

Grand Valley State enters the tournament after two second-place finishes to start their season and strong individual performances from Charlotte Goersch and June Hsiao. Ferris State began their campaign with third-place results at both the UIndy Invitational and Warrior Invitational; Kamryn Shannon earned GLIAC Women's Golfer of the Week honors following her co-victory at the Warrior Invitational.

Wayne State has recorded seventh-place finishes so far this season and is led by Claudia Portillo Navas. Davenport set a new school record for lowest team score over three rounds during their fourth-place finish at the Warrior Invitational.

Saginaw Valley opened its season with back-to-back eighth-place results while Tiffin won the ODU Championship after opening with fifth place at UIndy. Ashland's top squad started strong with second place at ODU Championship thanks to three top-10 individual finishes. Gannon began its season by winning the UC Invitational before taking fourth place at ODU Championship.

Weather forecasts indicate temperatures in the upper seventies with minimal chance of rain and light winds during tournament play.