PEORIA, Ill. -- Junior Danielle Lemek (Doniphan, Neb./Doniphan-Trumbull) fired a one-over par 73 to move into a tie for second and the Bradley women's golf team climbed into seventh in the final team standings at the season-opening Redbird Invitational Monday.
Lemek started the day tied for seventh and the Braves were ninth after two rounds of play at the Redbird Invitational. A final-round 73 at the par-72 Weibring Golf Course helped vault Lemek into a tie with Butler's Jenna Peters for second in the individual standings and Bradley's 311 team score moved the Braves up two spots into the team standings into seventh.
Illinois State's Brianna Cooper claimed medalist honors with a three-round total of 218, while Lemek and Peters were six shots back at 224. Lemek posted her 17th career top-10 finish, which ranks second in school history, and moved into a tie with Rikki Sobel for fifth in Bradley history for career sub-80 rounds with her 56th career round in the 70's or better.
Sophomore Paige Jordan (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) ended play on a strong note with a 79 to tie for 38th in the field at 236 and junior Jenna Roadley (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Sturgeon Heights) was three shots behind Jordan in a tie for 50th at 239 after shooting an 81 Monday.
Freshman Abby Wellens (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) shot a final round 83 to tie for 65th (245), while fellow freshman Grace Henderson (Peachtree Corners, Ga./Blessed Trinity) rounded out the team scoring for the Braves with a 78 to finish 82nd overall at 250.
Bradley also had a pair of individuals in the field, with freshman Ally Scaccia (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect) firing her lowest round of the young fall season with a two-over 74. Scaccia was in the 70's in each of the first three rounds of her collegiate career to tie for 15th at 229, finishing five shots back of Lemek and two shots out of the top 10. Junior Allison Walsh (Mt. Prospect, Ill./Mt. Prospect) saved her best for last as well to card an 81 and tie for 74th (247).
Illinois State's 299 Monday was six shots better than any team on the final day and helped the Redbirds claim the team title with a score of 910. Northern Illinois and Butler followed in a tie for second at 922, while Ball State was fourth (925) to edge fifth-place finisher Ohio (926). Eastern Kentucky closed play in sixth (929), 10 shots ahead of seventh-place Bradley (939).
The Braves were three shots better than Bowling Green (8th - 942) and had a seven-shot advantage on South Dakota State (9th - 946). Loyola rounded out the top 10 in the 16-team field (948), which also included MVC rivals Drake (T12th - 955) and Evansville (16th - 979).
Bradley returns to action Sept. 15 & 16 at the Cardinal Cup in Louisville, Ky.
