PEORIA, Ill. -- A staple on the spring schedule for the Bradley women's golf team, the 15th annual Rio Verde Invitational wraps up a busy opening week for the Braves to kick off the 2017 Spring slate Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Rio Verde, Ariz. 
 
Bradley returned to the course after nearly four months off since wrapping up the fall schedule in mid-October to open the 2017 spring schedule earlier this week at the Amelia Island Collegiate in Fernandina Beach, Fla., Monday and Tuesday, where the Braves finished 15th of 18 teams. 
 
The trip to the Grand Canyon State marks the 14th consecutive season Bradley will take part in the Rio Verde Invitational with action getting under way Friday at 1 p.m. (CST) at the Rio Verde Country Club's par-72 White Wing Course.  The second (Saturday) and third rounds (Sunday) will both tee off at 8:30 a.m. (CST).  BradleyBraves.com will provide links to live scoring via Golfstat.com for all three rounds. 
 
The Braves tied for fifth of 18 teams at last year's event for the team's best finish at the Rio Verde Invitational.  Familiar foes will join Bradley in the 19-team event this spring, including Missouri Valley Conference squads Illinois State, Missouri State and Wichita State.  Eight Mid-American Conference schools make up the bulk of the competition with Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Ohio and tournament-host Western Michigan slated to play. 
 
The field also includes one Arizona team in Northern Arizona and Central Arkansas is the highest rated team in the tournament, checking in at #79 in the latest Golfweek.com rankings.  Two Big East teams (Seton Hall & Xavier) join with Arkansas State, Arkansas-Little Rock and UMKC to round out the competitors.
 
Freshman Taylor Ledwein (New Prague, Minn./New Prague) was named the MVC Golfer of the Week after pacing Bradley at the Amelia Island Collegiate.  She enters Rio Verde with 15 consecutive rounds in the 70's and needs two more sub-80 rounds for the longest such streak by a Bradley freshman. 
 
Junior Ally Scaccia (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect) has the most experience on the roster at Rio Verde, taking part in the tournament each of the past two seasons.  She wrapped up last year's event with a two-over 74 to tie for 44th overall at 230 and owns a 78.17 career stroke average at Rio Verde Country Club. 
 
Fellow junior Grace Henderson (Peachtree Corners, Ga./Blessed Trinity) opened last year's Rio Verde Invitational with a career-best 72 and was Bradley's top finisher (tied for 15th) at last year's event.  Henderson is coming off her lowest 54-hole tournament of the year earlier this week at the Amelia Island Collegiate. 
 
Sophomore Frankie Saban (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) has averaged 76.6 per round over her last five rounds to lower her season average to 78.68.  She matched a career-best with a one-over 73 Tuesday.  Sophomore Chloe Horton (Coral Gables, Fla./Ransom Everglades) carded matching 78's in the first two rounds of last year's Rio Verde Invitational and is tied with Saban for third on the team with 12 sub-80 rounds this season. 
 
Following the Rio Verde Invitational, Bradley will have two weeks off from competition before hosting the Bradley Spring Break Invitational at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas, Texas.