Tuesday, October 17
Birmingham, Mich. (Birmingham Country Club)
10 a.m.
Central Michigan University
at
Chippewa Invitational
Freshman Rachel Niskanen shot 73 to lead Central Michigan on Tuesday during the final round of the Chippewa Invitational.
Photo by: Andy Sneddon
Strong Finish for CMU Women's Golf in Own Invitational
10/17/2023 4:32:00 PM | Women's Golf
Freshman Rachel Niskanen shoots final-round 73 as Chippewas finish in fourth place at Chippewa Invitational
BIRMINGHAM, Mich. – A solid finish in less-than-ideal conditions for the Central Michigan women's golf team at its own Chippewa Invitational at storied Birmingham Country Club.
Rachel Niskanen shot a 1-over 73 on Tuesday to lead the Chippewas to a 306 team score in the final round of the event. CMU, which opened with a 315 in Monday's first round, finished at 621 and in fourth place in the seven-team field.
Youngstown State shot 306 on Tuesday to win the tournament with a 602 total. The Penguins finished with a four-shot victory over defending champion Oakland (606).
"I think we played pretty solid based on conditions," CMU coach Ryan Williams said. "Monday the wind was gusting which made it really tricky out there.
"Depending on where you are on the golf course, there are some really, really tough situations you can be in. I thought we handled it really well and I think we did some growing up this week and we learned some things and applied them. It's nice to see an improvement from day 1 to day 2."
Niskanen, a freshman who improved her score by nine shots from round 1 to round 2, was one of three Chippewas to finish among a group tied for 14th with a 155 total.
Niskanan's 73 was bettered on Tuesday by only three players in the entire field, which comprised 54 players. Her nine-shot improvement tied for the best among all of the players in the event.
CMU's Ashley Goh and Rachel Kauflin, both seniors, shot 79 and 76, respectively, to also finish at 155.
CMU senior Mackenzie Baustad shot her second consecutive 6-over 78 to finish at 156 and tied for 18th, giving the Chippewas four players in the top 20.
"Really happy with the team and the way they battled," Williams said. "I think it was a really good step in the right direction. We got some of the younger student-athletes some experience and it's invaluable to play competitive rounds and learn those lessons on a golf course like this.
"Things just settle in a little bit more when you're under the microscope on a course like this with the greens, the way they undulate and as fast as they are, you have to think your way around. It's eye opening at times."
CMU's Lexi Schulman closed with an 82 for a 166 total, while Alexis McMurray shot 89 and Evanka Shah carded an 84. Both McMurray and Shah finished at 169.
Oakland's Bridget Boczar shot an even-par 72 to finish with a 1-under 143 total to defend her title as medalist. She won by five shots over Dasa Urbankova of Illinois-Chicago and Mikaela Schulz of Michigan.
It marked the third Chippewa invitational at the beautiful and storied Birmingham Country Club in suburban Detroit. The event is the brainchild of CMU graduate and BCC member Rocky Ricelli who, with his wife Traci, has been the driving force behind tournament since it started in 2019.
"Rocky and Traci are unbelievable hosts, and this is a first-class event," Williams said. "They're so good to our program, they do so much for our program with this tournament being a big component to that.
"You talk to coaches who come to this event and it's clearly different from other events that we go to and it's all due to the time and effort that Rocky and Traci put into it, and the support that they give to it. We're really lucky to be able to host here."
The Chippewas are set to close the fall portion of their season on Oct. 30-31 at The Judson, hosted by Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss.
Rachel Niskanen shot a 1-over 73 on Tuesday to lead the Chippewas to a 306 team score in the final round of the event. CMU, which opened with a 315 in Monday's first round, finished at 621 and in fourth place in the seven-team field.
Youngstown State shot 306 on Tuesday to win the tournament with a 602 total. The Penguins finished with a four-shot victory over defending champion Oakland (606).
"I think we played pretty solid based on conditions," CMU coach Ryan Williams said. "Monday the wind was gusting which made it really tricky out there.
"Depending on where you are on the golf course, there are some really, really tough situations you can be in. I thought we handled it really well and I think we did some growing up this week and we learned some things and applied them. It's nice to see an improvement from day 1 to day 2."
Niskanen, a freshman who improved her score by nine shots from round 1 to round 2, was one of three Chippewas to finish among a group tied for 14th with a 155 total.
Niskanan's 73 was bettered on Tuesday by only three players in the entire field, which comprised 54 players. Her nine-shot improvement tied for the best among all of the players in the event.
CMU's Ashley Goh and Rachel Kauflin, both seniors, shot 79 and 76, respectively, to also finish at 155.
CMU senior Mackenzie Baustad shot her second consecutive 6-over 78 to finish at 156 and tied for 18th, giving the Chippewas four players in the top 20.
"Really happy with the team and the way they battled," Williams said. "I think it was a really good step in the right direction. We got some of the younger student-athletes some experience and it's invaluable to play competitive rounds and learn those lessons on a golf course like this.
"Things just settle in a little bit more when you're under the microscope on a course like this with the greens, the way they undulate and as fast as they are, you have to think your way around. It's eye opening at times."
CMU's Lexi Schulman closed with an 82 for a 166 total, while Alexis McMurray shot 89 and Evanka Shah carded an 84. Both McMurray and Shah finished at 169.
Oakland's Bridget Boczar shot an even-par 72 to finish with a 1-under 143 total to defend her title as medalist. She won by five shots over Dasa Urbankova of Illinois-Chicago and Mikaela Schulz of Michigan.
It marked the third Chippewa invitational at the beautiful and storied Birmingham Country Club in suburban Detroit. The event is the brainchild of CMU graduate and BCC member Rocky Ricelli who, with his wife Traci, has been the driving force behind tournament since it started in 2019.
"Rocky and Traci are unbelievable hosts, and this is a first-class event," Williams said. "They're so good to our program, they do so much for our program with this tournament being a big component to that.
"You talk to coaches who come to this event and it's clearly different from other events that we go to and it's all due to the time and effort that Rocky and Traci put into it, and the support that they give to it. We're really lucky to be able to host here."
The Chippewas are set to close the fall portion of their season on Oct. 30-31 at The Judson, hosted by Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss.
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