Assistant Coach Ben Johnson | Northern Michigan University Athletics Website
Assistant Coach Ben Johnson | Northern Michigan University Athletics Website
The Northern Michigan University (NMU) women's golf team completed the second day of competition at the Saddlebrook Spring Kickoff, holding their fifth-place standing after 36 holes. The Wildcats posted a round two score of +75, bringing their total to +135 over two days.
In the tournament standings, No. 5 Marian leads with a score of +57, followed by No. 32 Bethel at +90 and McKendree in third place with +104. NMU is trailing Walsh by 15 strokes and is four strokes ahead of No. 40 Indiana East, while Saint Xavier rounds out the teams with a score of +292.
Head coach Ben Johnson commented on the challenging weather conditions: "The strong wind and rainy conditions made play very difficult today," he said. "With that being said, weather is something we have to get used to playing in, and I am looking forward to having a solid final round."
Despite adverse weather, which slightly increased the course's difficulty with an average score rising from yesterday's 91.28 to today's 92.33, Maggie Pietila delivered a noteworthy performance for NMU. She maintained her top-10 position with a second-round score of +16 (88), resulting in a two-day total of +22 and positioning her five strokes behind fourth place.
Pietila's round included two birdies on par-four holes six and eleven—both rare achievements during this round. She remains just one stroke back from the leader on par four scoring at +9 and is only four pars behind the lead.
Maddy Martens achieved NMU's best round for the day with a score of +14 (86), leading to a two-day total of +27 and placing her second on the team and 15th overall. Other team members include Hailey Bolander in 27th place with a total of +42, Abbie Pietila at +44 rounding out team scoring, Payton Dube improving by two spots to reach a total of +64, and Gabriella Moreau dropping three spots for a total of +65.
As individuals, Olivia Brill (+50) moved up positions to sit in 31st place while Abby Luke (+55) also advanced positions into 32nd place. Luke recorded another Wildcat birdie on hole eleven alongside Maggie Pietila.
Full results are available online along with live scoring updates for tomorrow morning's final round.
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