Women's Golf Looks to Reach the Pinnacle at MAC Championships

MUNCIE, Indiana - - It is championship time for the Ball State women's golf team which will head to the Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City, Ohio, for the 2024 Mid-American Conference Championship hosted by Ohio.

Following a practice round Saturday on the 72-par, 6,201-yard course, action in the three-day event for the third-seeded Cardinals begins with a Noon tee time Sunday. Ball State will be paired with Kent State and Northern Illinois for the opening round, with players teeing off every 10 minutes through 12:40.

Set to represent the Cardinals at the championship meet are senior Kiah Parrott, junior Sabrina Langerak, sophomores Jasmine Driscoll, Sarah Gallagher and Madelin Boyd, along with freshman JJ Gregston.

"This group has a lot of talent," head coach Cameron Andry said. "We are a little on the young, inexperienced side, and we showed that at times during the beginning of the season. There were some tournaments where we look really good, and there were some that we didn't. My hope is that throughout the course of the year we have learned a lot, matured and grown as players."

Last time out, that maturity showed with the Cardinals battling during a challenging final round to ultimately claim the Lady Jaguar Invitational championship for its second event win of the season. Langerak led the Cardinals and placed second overall in the 36-hole event with a score of +3 (147).

As a team, Ball State shot +30 (606), including an opening round +8 (296). It was the seventh-best team round of an already record-setting season which saw the program set records for lowest team score in a single round (285), lowest team score on a 36-hole day (584) and lowest team score in a 54-hole tournament (865).

"We are excited for the challenge ahead, and I think we are peaking at the right time," Andry added. "I hope we can put it all together this week in Grove City."

CARDINALS SOARING LIKE EAGLES:
Ball State's golfers have been carding eagles at a record pace this season, having already tallied 14 on the year. According to the team's GolfStat Record Book heading into the season, the program record for eagles a single year was seven set by the 2016-17 squad.

Of the 14 eagles, five have been scored by junior Payton Bennett which is two more the than the previous individual single-season record of three set by both Sydney Anderson and Allison Lindley during the 2016-17 campaign.

In addition, junior Sabrina Langerak has three eagles of her own, while sophomore Sarah Gallagher, sophomore Jasmine Driscoll and freshman JJ Gregston have two apiece.

BALL STATE IS ON A RECORD PACE:
The Cardinals are also on pace to break the program's single season team scoring average of 306.59 set by the 2020-21 squad.

Ball State enters the 2024 MAC Championships with a scoring average of 302.61, which is almost four strokes ahead of the previous mark.

The effort includes three golfers with averages which would rank in the top eight in program history. Sophomore Jasmine Driscoll and senior Kiah Parrott lead the squad with averages of 75.21 which would tie as the fourth best in program history.

Junior Sarah Gallagher is right behind at 75.93, which would be the eighth best.

MAC GOLFERS OF THE WEEK:
So far this season, Ball State has claimed four Mid-American Conference Golfer of the Week honors … Senior Kiah Parrott earned the honor twice in the fall, while junior Sabrina Langerak and Sarah Gallagher have each claimed the award so far this spring.

Sept. 21, 2023 - Kiah Parrott
Oct. 26, 2023 - Kiah Parrott
Feb. 16, 2024 - Sabrina Langerak
Feb. 29, 2024 - Sarah Gallagher

54-HOLE RECORDS:
The 2023-24 Ball State women's golf squad has posted the two lowest 54-hole records in program history so far this season. The first came at the 2023 Brittany Kelly Classic (Sept. 18-19, 2023) at The Players Club at Woodland Trails in Yorktown, Indiana, when the team finished the two-day event with a program record 54-hole score of 875 … The effort was seven strokes better than the previous mark of 882 set at the 2021 Spring Break Shootout (March 15-16, 2021) at Lake Jovita in Dade City, Florida.

The Cardinals would better the team mark by 10 strokes to close the fall campaign, shooting an 865 (+1) at the Diamante Intercollegiate (Oct. 22-24, 2023) at the Diamante Country Club in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas.

INDIVIDUAL 54-HOLE MARKS:
On an individual front, senior Kiah Parrott has posted BSU's two lowest 54-hole scores of the season, with her 209 (72-69-68) at the Diamante Intercollegiate ranking as the second lowest in program history, two shots off her mark of 207 (67-68-72) when she won the 2022 Brittany Kelly Cardinal Classic (Sept. 19-20, 2022).

Parrott also tallied a 215 (74-69-72) at this season's Brittany Kelly Classic, which ties as the fourth-lowest 54-hole score in program history.

Sophomore Sarah Gallagher would tie BSU's second-lowest mark of the season her 215 (71-72-72) at the Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational.

Sophomore Jasmine Driscoll was not far behind with BSU's fourth-lowest round of the season with her 216 (71-72-73) at the Diamante Intercollegiate, which ties as the eighth-lowest 54-hole score in program history.

36-HOLE DAY RECORDS:
The Cardinals also set a new 36-hole day record on the opening day of the 2023 Brittany Kelly Classic (Sept. 18, 2023) with a 584, taking one stroke off the previous record of 585 set on the opening day of the 2019 Spring Break Shootout (March 11, 2019).

On an individual front, senior Kiah Parrott turned in a 143 (74-69) on the 36-hole day of the Brittany Kelly Classic, which ties as the ninth-best 36-hole score in the Ball State record book.

2023-24 LOW ROUNDS:
Sophomore Jasmine Driscoll and senior Kiah Parrott currently own the lowest round of the season for the Cardinals, with Driscoll firing a 68 in the final round of the Boilermaker Classic (Sept. 4-5) and Parrott doing the same in the final round of the Diamante Intercollegiate (Oct. 22-24) … It ties as the third-lowest round in program history and is just two strokes off the program-record of 66 set by Jenna Hague at the 2013 Hoosier Fall Invitational.

The Cardinals also have four rounds of 69 this season, with Parrott achieving the total twice; once in the second round of the Brittany Kelly Classic (Sept. 18-19) and once in the second round of the Diamante Intercollegiate (Oct. 22-24) … Driscoll also shot a 69 in the final round of the Brittany Kelly Classic, while sophomore Madelin Boyd carded one in the opening round of the Diamante Intercollegiate … The scores of 69 tie as the seventh-lowest round in program history.

Ball State also posted the lowest team round in program history at the Diamante Intercollegiate with a final round 285 (-3) … It was one stroke better than the previous record of 286 set in the second round of the 2021 Spring Break Shootout in Dade City, Florida.

Individual 2023-24 Low Rounds:
Jasmine Driscoll - 68 in the final round of the Boilermaker Classic (Sept. 4-5)
Kiah Parrott - 68 in the second round of the Diamante Intercollegiate (Oct. 22-24)
Madelin Boyd - 69 in the second round of the Diamante Intercollegiate (Oct. 22-24)
Sabrina Langerak - 70 in the second round of the Brittany Kelly Classic (Sept. 18-19)
JJ Gregston - 70 in the opening round of the Brittany Kelly Classic (Sept. 18-19)
Jenna Estravillo - 71 in the opening round of the IU East Fall Invitational (Oct. 13-14)
Sarah Gallagher - 71 in the third round of the Diamante Intercollegiate (Oct. 22-24) and in the first round of the Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational (Feb. 23-25)
Payton Bennett - 73 in the third round of the Diamante Intercollegiate (Oct. 22-24)
Madelyn Young - 75 on three occasions, most recently in the opening round of the IU East Fall Invitational (Oct. 13-14)

Women's Golf Looks to Reach the Pinnacle at MAC Championships

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Players Mentioned

Payton Bennett

Madelin Boyd

Jasmine Driscoll

Jenna Estravillo

Sarah Gallagher

JJ Gregston

Sabrina Langerak

Kiah Parrott

Madelyn Young