PEORIA, Ill. -- Senior Breanne Neufeld (Coaldale, Alberta/Kate Andrews) won medalist honors for the second time in her career, claiming top individual honors at the 17th annual Saluki Invitational Monday while helping the Bradley women's golf team to a second-place finish in the 36-hole event at the par-72 Hickory Ridge Golf Course.
Neufeld overcame windy conditions during Sunday's play to shoot a par-72 in the opening round and entered Monday's final round with a six-shot lead on the field. She carded a 78 Monday to close out tournament play at 150 and held on to edge second-place finisher Chelsea Harris by one shot (151) for medalist honors.
The individual title is the first for Neufeld since winning the Duramed MAC Preview in October 2009 and she joined Meaghan LeBlanc, Kelly Dillon, Bari Erais and teammate Kelly Amundrud (Calgary, Alberta/Strathcona Tweedsmuir) as the only players in program history to win multiple tournament titles during their Bradley careers.
Senior Caitlin Deeken (California, Mo./California) helped Bradley card the second lowest team score on the final day with a second-round 79 and posted her second top-10 finish of the year. Deeken tied for eighth in the individual standings, finishing 10 shots behind Neufeld at 160.
Amundrud fired the low round of the day for the Braves Monday, firing a four-over par 76; but missed posting her 12th consecutive top-20 finish by one shot. Amundrud tied for 21st overall at 164 as she helped Bradley finish just two shots behind team champion Southern Illinois.
Sophomore Natalie Wisniewski (Williamsville, N.Y./South) rounded out the team scoring for the Braves with a final round 81 and tied for 39th in the field at 169.
Bradley played in the Saluki Invitational for the 16th time in the 17-year history of the event and finished in the top three for the seventh time. The Braves have closed out play in the top five of the event in nine of the team's last 10 trips to Carbondale, Ill.
Tournament-host Southern Illinois entered the day with an eight-shot lead on Bradley and held on to finish two shots ahead of the Braves at 639. BU shot 314 in the final round to finish two shots back at 641 and Bradley finished one shot ahead of Western Illinois and Austin Peay which tied for third in the standings at 642. Eastern Kentucky rounded out the top five at 654 and was followed by Drake in sixth at 655.
Toledo was two shots back in seventh (657) with Missouri Valley Conference rival Indiana State in eighth (669). SIU Edwardsville finished ninth (673) and Northern Illinois completed the top 10 in the field at 677. Creighton took 11th at 680 and Eastern Illinois was 12th in the standings at 686. Rend Lake shot 700 to finish 13th and John A. Logan closed out the field in 14th at 750.
Bradley returns to action April 4 & 5 at the Indiana Invitational in Bloomington, Ind., in the team's final tournament before playing in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship April 22 & 23 in Normal, Ill.
