Bradley University Athletics

Women’s Golf Tees Off 2021-22 Campaign At Redbird Invitational

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Women's Golf 9/3/2021 11:10:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Women's Golf opens the 2021-22 season in a fairly familiar setting, with the Braves heading down I-74 to kick off the year at Illinois State's Redbird Invitational Sunday and Monday.

The Redbird Invitational has served as Bradley's season opener nine times since the start of the 2010-11 school year with the Braves last playing in the event to open the 2019-20 campaign. Bradley finished second of 17 teams at the 2019-20 Redbird Invitational and has placed second at the tournament in three of the last four trips to Normal, Ill., since 2015-16. Overall, the Braves have finished in the top half of the Redbird Invitational field each of the last eight times playing in the tournament, which includes five top-five team showings.

Missouri Valley Conference teams make up half of the 16-team field at this year's event, with Valley rivals Drake, Illinois State, Indiana State, Loyola, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois and Valparaiso joining the Braves. Rounding out the field are Ball State, Bowling Green, Butler, Eastern Kentucky, IUPUI, Northern Illinois, Ohio and Western Illinois.

Play at the par-72 Weibring Golf Course begins Sunday with an 8 a.m. shotgun start to the opening two rounds. Monday's final round will begin with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.

Bradley returns six of eight letterwinners from last year's squad, highlighted by five of the top six in season stroke average from the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign.

Junior Mara Flaherty is the only individual to play in every tournament for the Braves over the past two seasons and ranked fourth on the team with a 79.57 stroke average last year. Flaherty made her Bradley debut at the 2019-20 Redbird Invitational, tying for 15th at eight-over 224 as she posted the lowest 54-hole score by a BU freshman in a season opener in program history.

One of three seniors on the 2021-22 roster, Megan Welch owned a 78.09 stroke average over the final four tournaments of the 2020-21 season and capped the year by tying for 22nd at the MVC Championship. Welch was among the team's top three finishers in each of the final four outings last year.

Fellow senior Sarah Nacos also has experience at the Redbird Invitational, tying for 60th at the 2019 Redbird Invitational. Nacos played in two events last year, closing the season with a career-best 79.40 stroke average.

A pair of freshmen complete the Bradley lineup for the Redbird Invitational with Maria Perakis and Kathryn McNease both scheduled to make their debuts in the season-opening event.

Sophomore Vaijayanti Bharkhada is scheduled to play as an individual this weekend. Bharkhada was the lone Brave to play in the Redbird Spring Invitational back in April, appearing as an individual, and finished 19th in the field after opening the event with a season-best round of 76.

After the Redbird Invitational, Bradley makes the first of back-to-back trips to the state of Missouri for the Payne Stewart Memorial in Springfield, Mo., Sept. 13 & 14.

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