Complete Results | Season Stats.

YORKTOWN, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) –  It's not where you start, it's where you finish. That saying has been around forever, but for the Eastern Michigan University women's golf team it held true at the Cardinal Classic Tuesday, Sept. 21, at The Players Club.

Head Coach Stephanie Jennings' team fired a final round 304 to finish as the runner-up at the event with a 915 (312-299-304). EMU was in 10th-place after round one, but rebounded to jump eight spots during the final two trips around the par 72, 6,204-yard setup.

It was the best tournament finish by an EMU squad to open a season since the 2007-08 season. That year, Eastern won the NIU Brickyard Invitational with a two-round score of 600, Sept. 10-11.

Akron won the tournament with a 912, while EMU, Cleveland State (916), IUPUI (915), and Butler (922) rounded out the top five spots. Meanwhile, Taylor's Nicole Jung and Bowling Green's Kayla Davis finished the event tied atop the leaderboard at four-over 220. Davis made birdie on the first playoff hole to ultimately secure the victory.

How It Happened
Freshman Anna Watson (Ashland, Ohio-Ashland) tied her career best score with a final round 74 to finish in 12th with a 229 (80-75-74). It was the third career top-15 showing for Watson and her first since placing 11th at the Akron Invitational, April 16-17, 2021.
    
Junior Natai Apichonlati (Bangkok, Thailand-The Regent's International School) and Kyleigh Dull (Fremont, Ohio-Lakota)  tied for 16th with a 14-over 230. Dull closed with the best tally of her young career at 75, while Apichonlati collected her fourth career top-20 showing in her first competitive rounds since the 2019-20 season.

Sophomore Olivia Loberg (Bend, Ore.-Summit) notched a 232 (76-75-81) in 27th-place, while freshman Sophia Wygonik (Westland, Mich.-Livonia Franklin) added a 235 (83-77-75) in a tie for 37th. Making her collegiate debut, freshman Alyssa DiMarcantonio (Maple, Ontario-Tommy Douglas Secondary School) finished in a tie for 21st with a 231 (77-78-76).    

On The Horizon
EMU jumps back into action Sept. 26-27 at the Golden Grizzlies Invitational in Rochester, Mich. The Eagles last took part in the event during the 2018-19 campaign, posting a fifth-place showing with a 651.

Eastern Michigan Individual Results:
Pl.    Player    Scores
t-12.    Anna Watson    80-75-74=229
t-16.    Natai Apichonlati    75-75-80=230
t-16.     Kyleigh Dull    81-74-75=230
t-27.     Olivia Loberg    76-75-81=232
t-37.     Sophia Wygonik    83-77-75=235
* t-21.    Alyssa DiMarcantonio     77-78-76=231
* - playing as an individual
    
Team Scores:
Pl.    Team    Scores
1.    Akron    304-305-303=912
2.    Eastern Michigan    312-299-304=915
3.    Cleveland State    304-310-302=916
4.    IUPUI    310-305-302=917
5.    Butler    307-314-301=922
6.    Loyola    315-310-300=925
7.    Purdue Fort Wayne    304-305-321=930
8.    Bowling Green    318-308-305=931
9.    Western Michigan    307-312-314=933
10.    Dayton    309-315-310=934
11.    Oakland    307-317-312=936
12.    Ball State    307-312-319=938
13.    Ohio    318-317-309=944
14.    Taylor     334-316-316=966
t-15.    Valparaiso    322-322-325=969
t-15.    Northern Kentucky    325-326-318=969