Bradley University Athletics

Women’s Golf Hosts Coyote Creek Classic

BradleyBraves.com

Women's Golf 10/7/2021 2:00:00 PM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Women's Golf will host its first tournament at Coyote Creek Golf Club with the Braves welcoming 12 others teams to the par-72 course in Bartonville, Ill., for the Coyote Creek Classic Saturday and Sunday.

Coyote Creek Golf Club is in its third year as Bradley's home course with this year's tournament marking the first event hosted by the Braves at the venue.

Hosting its first tournament since the Bradley Spring Break Invitational in March of 2018 in Farmers Branch, Texas, Bradley will host an event in the Peoria area for the first time dating back to the 2017 Bradley Spring Invitational. The last time the Braves hosted a tournament in the fall was the Missouri Valley Conference Preview in October 2006.

MVC rivals Drake, Illinois State, Loyola, Missouri State, Northern Iowa and Valparaiso join Bradley in the 13-team field which also includes Chicago State, Cleveland State, Green Bay, Western Illinois, Western Michigan and Xavier.

Play at the par-72, 6,019-yard Coyote Creek Golf Club gets underway Saturday morning with a shotgun start to the first two rounds. Sunday's final round will also feature an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.

Three of Bradley's last four team titles have come in events the Braves have hosted, with the last coming in the 2017 Bradley Spring Invitational. In addition, seven Bradley individuals have claimed medalist titles in tournaments hosted by BU.

Freshman Maria Perakis has paced Bradley in each of her first three outings as a Brave, boasting a team-best 74.33 stroke average on the year. Perakis, who has five rounds of 74 or better, matched her season-best round with a 71 in the final round of last week's Johnie Imes Invitational in Columbia, Mo.

The most experienced player on the Bradley roster, Megan Welch has had a strong start to her senior year and boasts a career-best 75.33 stroke average this season. Welch has four rounds of 75 or better to match her season totals of rounds of 75 or lower from both her sophomore and junior seasons.

Freshman Kathryn McNease joins Welch as the only Braves to shoot in the 70's or better in all nine rounds this fall. McNease owns a 75.89 stroke average, which includes a 75.43 average over her last seven rounds.

Senior Sarah Nacos is coming off the lowest 54-hole score of her career at last week's Johnie Imes Invite, where she tied for 53rd overall. Her first-round 76 at the Johnie Imes Invitational marked her lowest round since a career-best 75 during the fall of 2019.

The only Brave to play in every tournament since the start of the 2019-20 season, junior Mara Flaherty completes the Bradley lineup. Flaherty fired a final-round 73 at the Johnie Imes Invitational last week for her lowest round dating back to a career-best 72 in the final outing of the 2019 Fall season.

The Braves follow up the Coyote Creek Classic with a two-week break before closing out the fall slate Oct. 24-26 at the Little Rock Golf Classic in Hot Springs Village, Ark.

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