CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Freshman Taylor Ledwein fired a one-over 73 to tie for fifth as she earned all-conference honors and the Bradley women's golf team held on to third in the team standings at the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Championship Tuesday.
 
The Braves entered the final round at the par-72 Dalhousie Country Club in a tie with Northern Iowa for third and held on to third in the final standings.  The third-place finished matched last year's finish, which was the best for the Braves since 2013.
 
Bradley's final round 309 was the fourth-lowest team score of the day and helped the Braves finish in third at 943.  Missouri State led from wire-to-wire claiming the top spot in the team standings at 913 to top second-place Wichita State (933) by 20 strokes.  Bradley was 10 back of the Shockers in third at 943 and two shots in front of fourth-place Illinois State (945) in the 10-team field.
 
Ledwein, who was also named the 2016-17 MVC Newcomer of the Year, is the sixth Bradley freshman to capture All-MVC honors after tying for fifth to pace the Braves at the MVC Championship.  Her one-over 73 Tuesday put her in a tie for fifth in the field at 225, seven behind individual medalist and MVC Golfer of the Year selection Kayla Katterhenry of Evansville, who finished at two-over 218. 
 
Ledwein's 75.97 stroke average ranks as the seventh-best season average in school history and second-best mark by a Bradley freshman.  In addition, her 29 sub-80 rounds are a Bradley freshman record and the second most in school history, while her six top-10 finishes tied for the eighth-best season total on The Hilltop.
 
Junior Ally Scaccia joined Ledwein on the Valley's all-conference team and ended the season on a high note with a three-over 75.  Scaccia missed her fifth top-10 finish of the year by two strokes, tying for 11th in the field at 235.  Her 76.24 season stroke average ranks ninth among Bradley records and her 28 sub-80 rounds in 2016-17 tied for the third-best total in school history. 
 
Bradley boasted the MVC Newcomer of the Year for the third time in six years with Ledwein's honor marking the first for the Braves since three-time MVC Player of the Year Danielle Lemek in 2012-13.  In addition, the Braves had two All-MVC honorees for the 12^th time in the last 19 years and first since 2014-15. 
 
Sophomore Frankie Saban matched her low round of the tournament with a final round 80 and tied fellow sophomore Chloe Horton at 243 for 28th overall.  Horton carded a final-round 84 Tuesday to finish in the tie with Saban, five shots out of the top 20. 
 
Junior Grace Henderson completed the team scoring for the Braves with a final round 81 and was two back of both Saban and Horton in a tie for 34th at 245. 
 
Bradley is expected to return its entire roster in 2017-18 after boasting one of the youngest teams in the MVC with four juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen in 2016-17.