PEORIA, Ill. -- Fresh off opening its 2019 Spring schedule in Georgia last weekend, Bradley Women's Golf makes its annual trip to the state of Arizona for the 17th annual Rio Verde Invitational which will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Rio Verde, Ariz.
The Rio Verde Invitational has been a staple on the schedule for Bradley Women's Golf, with the Braves playing in the event for the 16th consecutive season. Bradley finished fourth in the team standings at last year's Rio Verde Invite for the team's best finish in the event. Junior Taylor Ledwein, who was named MVC Golfer of the Week Wednesday, was last year's top individual finisher for the Braves at Rio Verde, tying for fifth for to match her best finish of the 2017-18 campaign.
Play at the Rio Verde Country Club's par-72 Quail Run course gets underway Friday with a 2 p.m. (CST) shotgun start and will feature one round each day. Saturday's second round and Sunday's final round will both have 9:30 a.m. (CST) shotgun starts to close out the only three-day tournament on Bradley's spring schedule besides the MVC Championship in April.
Mid-American Conference schools make up eight of the 18 teams in the field in Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Ohio and tournament-host Western Michigan. Missouri Valley Conference rivals Illinois State and Missouri State along with former Valley member Wichita State are also scheduled to play. Defending Rio Verde Invite champion Seton Hall is the highest rated team (Golfweek.com rankings) at #73. Rounding out the field are Arkansas State, Boise State, Little Rock, UMKC and Xavier.
Bradley's top finisher at last weekend's Lake Oconee Invitational in Statesboro, Ga., Ledwein tied for fifth at last year's event at seven-over 223. She has fired a 74 or better in three of her six career rounds at Rio Verde, owning a 76.2 career stroke average in the event. Ledwein owns a team-best 76.93 stroke average on the year.
Senior Frankie Saban tied for 23rd at last year's Rio Verde Invitational and matched Ledwein's 75.4 stroke average over their last five rounds at Rio Verde. She had moved into 14th in career rounds played at Bradley (94). Both Saban and Ledwein have been among the team's top two individuals in four of five tournaments this year, with Saban in Bradley's top two in eight of nine outings dating back to last spring.
Fellow senior Brooke Thompson is also playing in her third Rio Verde Invitational, tying for 36th last year for her best showing in the event. Joining Thompson in the Bradley lineup are freshman Elyse Emerzian, who made her Bradley debut this past weekend at the Lake Oconee Invitational, and junior Megan Medinger. One of three Braves to appear in each of the first five tournaments of 2018-19, Medinger has played as many rounds this season (15) as she did her freshman and sophomore seasons combined. Sophomore Maddie Hawkins will be playing as an individual in her first outing of the spring.
Bradley will have a break after the Rio Verde Invitational, before playing in the Babs Steffens Hatter Collegiate in Daytona Beach, Fla., March 24 & 25.
