Women's Golf Opens Fall Slate At Redbird Invite

Daryl Wilson

Redbird Invitational Live Scoring

Women's Golf 9/2/2016 9:00:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Women's Golf will challenge five other Missouri Valley Conference opponents in a fairly familiar venue, with the Braves opening the 2016-17 Sunday and Monday at the Redbird Invitational in Normal, Ill.

This year's trip to the Redbird Invitational will mark the seventh consecutive season Bradley has taken part in the tournament and the Braves have placed in the top seven in the event in six straight years after tying for second in the 16-team field last fall.

The earliest season opener for Bradley since the 2004-05 campaign features Valley rivals Drake, Evansville, Illinois State, Loyola and Southern Illinois along with four Mid-American Conference squads in Ball State, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois and Ohio. The 14-team field also includes Boston College, Butler, Florida Gulf Coast and Western Illinois.

Play is scheduled to tee off at 8:30 a.m. both days of the 54-hole event with BradleyBraves.com providing links to live scoring via BirdieFire.

Bradley's lineup will have a new look in 2016-17 after graduating three seniors this past spring. The 2016-17 roster features four newcomers in addition to seven returning letterwinners.

Junior Ally Scaccia (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect) was Bradley's top finisher at last year's Redbird Invitational, finishing second in the field with a three-round total of five-over 221 at the par-72 Weibring Golf Club. Scaccia has placed in the top 15 at the Redbird Invitational each of her two previous trips to Normal, Ill., and has a 75.00 career stroke average at the course. Last year, she ranked second on the team and 12th in the MVC with a 76.74 stroke average.

Freshman Taylor Ledwein (New Prague, Minn./New Prague) has earned a spot in the lineup for the season opener and the two-time Minnesota Class AAA state champion capped her high school career with a 73 average as a senior.

Junior Grace Henderson (Peachtree Corners, Ga./Blessed Trinity) has also played in the Redbird Invitational each of her first two years on The Hilltop. Henderson tied for 53rd last year (240) and is coming off a spring season which saw her post a 78.50 stroke average.

Sophomore Chloe Horton (Coral Gables, Fla./Ransom Everglades) finished one shot behind Henderson last year at the Redbird Invite, closing out the tournament with rounds of 79 and 78. Fellow sophomore Frankie Saban (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) will be part of the lineup for the Braves in the season opener after playing in last year's event as an individual. Saban carded a season-best 76 in her first collegiate round at Weibring last September.

Bradley will have two individuals in the field, with sophomore Sydney Shaw (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) and freshman Megan Medinger (Moline, Ill./Moline) both slated to play. Shaw wrapped up last year's event with a season-best 78, while Medinger will make her debut as a Brave.

The Braves will have nearly two weeks off from competition after opening the year, returning to the course Saturday, Sept. 17 at the UIC Fall Invitational in Chicago.

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