The women’s golf team placed second out of 13 teams this past weekend at the Chippewa Invite in Birmingham, Michigan.
Bradley fell four strokes short its first tournament win of the year, finishing behind champion Western Michigan.
Senior Taylor Ledwein led the Braves in her first tournament of the season, returning from an injury. She shot a 145 through two rounds, including a 69 in round two. Individually, Ledwein finished second overall.
“I felt pretty good,” Ledwein said. “It was fun to be back out there, and I loved cheering on my teammates from ahead or behind.”
According to Morell seeing Ledwein perform at such a high level in just her first tournament appearance this season is a good sign for Bradley.
“It’s great to have Taylor back, she’s a leader on this team,” Morell said. “I can say so much as a coach, she pushes them on.”
Ledwein’s second round 3-under-par-69 tied for the lowest 18-hole score of the tournament.
“Pretty much everything was on for me [on Tuesday],” Ledwein said. “I only missed two greens, but I was hitting every fairway.”
Ledwein’s teammates were there to back her up. Fellow senior Megan Medinger tied for 10th with a 156, with freshman Mara Flaherty and sophomore Megan Welch two and three strokes behind, respectively. Junior Maddie Hawkins closed out the Braves’ scoring with a cumulative score of 166.
Like the Missouri Valley Conference Preview a month prior in Burlington, Iowa, the weather was not kind to the Braves.
“Conditions were hard, so I told them to be patient,” head coach Halley Morell said. “There were 20-25 mile per hour winds and lots of indulations.”
Temperatures were also very low. Monday’s high was only 55 degrees, and the biting wind made it feel near freezing.
But that made no difference for the Braves, as they took care of business, beating third place Grand Valley State by one stroke and fourth place Northwoods by 11.
The Braves travel to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock this weekend to participate in a three-day tournament beginning Sunday.
After that, the team has nearly four months off until their next tournament.
“I give them time off in November and December, let them be students,” Morell said. “But, we hit it hard indoors after the holidays.”
With one more tournament until the winter break, Ledwein has one simple goal.
“As a team, I want to be right up there this weekend and get the win,” Ledwein said. “Hopefully I’ll be in the top 10, but I’m more about helping the team.”
For now, the Braves will focus on preparing for the course at Diamante Country Club in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Golf Digest currently ranks the course as the third best in the state.
