Hoosiers finish 6th in Big Ten tourney

On the NCAA Regional berth bubble, the IU women’s golf team knew it needed a strong tournament performance.

With a sixth-place finish this weekend in West Lafayette, the Hoosiers were left in limbo.

“We are right there,” said IU coach Clint Wallman. “I have no idea whether or not we are going to get in right now.”

The Hoosiers started the weekend ninth, climbed into seventh on day two and continued their ascent in day three, finishing sixth.

Wallman said the team had a sense of urgency in the final day after their slow start.  
“We were quite a few shots behind teams we had to beat to qualify for regionals, and our girls really stepped up,” Wallman said.

Individually, Wallman pointed out the strong play of sophomore Cecilia Orevik, who shed 10 strokes off her previous best score of the tournament with a 72 in the final round to propel the Hoosiers forward.

Junior Anita Gahir finished tops in the team once again, placing ninth. Juniors Laura Nochta and Kellye Belcher and senior Amber Lindgren were next among top finishers, all tying for 32nd. 

Nochta and Gahir were both named second-team All-Big Ten, and Nochta also collected the Sportsmanship award following the tournament. 

For the Hoosiers, they must now wait for their fate to be decided, as the field for NCAA play will be decided at 4 p.m. today.