IU places 5th at Ohio State

In the final tournament of the regular season, the IU women’s golf team showed it can compete in the postseason with a fifth-place finish in the Lady Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, Ohio.

The Hoosiers got strong play once again from junior Anita Gahir, who finished sixth individually with a score of 225. Joining Gahir in the top 30 were juniors Kellye Belcher, at 16th, and Laura Nochta, at 26th, and sophomore Cecilia Orevik, at 17th.

The Hoosiers’ next test will be the Big Ten Championships, which could determine if the team will qualify for the NCAA Regionals. IU coach Clint Wallman said he sees the showing as a step up toward the postseason.

“I though it was a very positive performance,” Wallman said, “It was good to get to play a challenging course, much like the challenge we will face this week at the Big Ten Championships.”

IU did place third among fellow Big Ten teams in Columbus, a feat that could be a boost of confidence for a team who finished fourth in last year’s Big Ten Women’s Golf Championship.