Central Michigan University Athletics
Monday, September 14
Sylvania, Ohio / Highland Meadows GC
9 a.m. (36 holes)
Central Michigan University
at
Rocket Classic
CMU senior Rachel Niskanen holds a 1-shot lead heading into Tuesday final round at the Rocket Classic.
Photo by: Andy Sneddon
Niskanen, Chippewas Lead Rocket Classic Heading into Tuesday's Final Round
9/14/2026 9:51:00 PM | Women's Golf
Niskanen overcomes slow start to grab 1-shot lead; Chippewas eye second straight tournament victory
SYLVANIA, Ohio – Getting there is one thing. Staying there is another.
The Central Michigan women's golf team went wire to wire last weekend in winning its A-Ga-Ming Invitational.
The Chippewas have a chance to do it again.
Led by senior Rachel Niskanen, the Chippewas shot 298-297 for a 27-over 595 on Monday and a three-shot lead over second-place Oakland at the 36-hole mark of the Rocket Invitational at Highland Meadows Golf Course.
The final round is scheduled for Tuesday with a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
Niskanen, eyeing her first collegiate victory, leads the tournament after an opening-round 4-over 75 and a 1-over 72. At 5-over, Niskanen holds a one-shot lead over three players.
"I was really happy with the performance in round 1 and round 2 today," CMU coach Ryan Williams said. "This golf course is a good test. You have to hit good golf shots, and you have to play strategically and be smart. You've got to take what you get and kind of roll with the punches a little bit. I think we did that really well today."
Four Chippewas are in the top 11 in the 42-player field. CMU's Elise Fennell is tied for fifth at 7-over, Maya Morgan is 10th at 8-over, and Zoe Dull (9-over) is T11.
Fennell shot 76-73 – 149; Morgan posted twin 75s and stands at 150; and Dull shot 72-79 – 151. Also for the Chippewas, Milly Pantepin shot 81-73 – 154 and Lexi Schulman carded 80-77 – 157.
Pantepin, playing as an individual, is tied for 16th and Schulman is tied for 25th.
"I was really pleased by the top-to-bottom depth that we showed," Williams said. "Through our lineup today everyone contributed and got us to where we're at. Looking forward to tomorrow and seeing what we can do."
Niskanen, who closed with a pair of 1-under 71s for a T4 finish last week at A-Ga-Ming, overcame a rough start in Monday's first round, playing her first three holes in 4-over par, to play her final 14 at even par. Her second-round 1-over 72 included three birdies and four bogeys.
She made a tournament-high 24 pars on the day.
"With a start like that it's easy to get rattled it's easy to get down and out and then to kind of press and make dumb mistakes, but she didn't do any of that," Williams said. "She played steady golf the rest of the first round and then just played really, really solid and took advantage of some opportunities later in the day and made a few birdies.
"She made a ton of pars out there and that's what this golf course is asking you to do.
"Today was a really, really good day for Rachel. It didn't seem spectacular. It didn't seem special, it just seemed like she was doing what she does and that's really great to see. I'm really happy for Rachel and her performance today and just excited about what that says about what we can expect from her going forward. She's taken big steps in her game in the last couple of years."
The Chippewas' win last weekend at A-Ga-Ming was their first since 2023. They entered the final round there with a 15-shot lead and won going away, topping runner-up Bowling Green by 21 shots.
Their lead heading into Tuesday's final round at the Rocket Classic is more precarious, just three shots, but the experience of sleeping on the lead and then closing strong should help, Williams said.
"Having last week's experience, it helps," he said. "I think we're ready for it. So that's exciting.
"It's hard to follow up a performance like we had last weekend, to show up and kind of manage your expectations and just play solid golf because you get a little excited, you get that taste and it can be hard to validate that performance. We did that today and I'm really hoping that we do it again tomorrow."
The Central Michigan women's golf team went wire to wire last weekend in winning its A-Ga-Ming Invitational.
The Chippewas have a chance to do it again.
Led by senior Rachel Niskanen, the Chippewas shot 298-297 for a 27-over 595 on Monday and a three-shot lead over second-place Oakland at the 36-hole mark of the Rocket Invitational at Highland Meadows Golf Course.
The final round is scheduled for Tuesday with a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
Niskanen, eyeing her first collegiate victory, leads the tournament after an opening-round 4-over 75 and a 1-over 72. At 5-over, Niskanen holds a one-shot lead over three players.
"I was really happy with the performance in round 1 and round 2 today," CMU coach Ryan Williams said. "This golf course is a good test. You have to hit good golf shots, and you have to play strategically and be smart. You've got to take what you get and kind of roll with the punches a little bit. I think we did that really well today."
Four Chippewas are in the top 11 in the 42-player field. CMU's Elise Fennell is tied for fifth at 7-over, Maya Morgan is 10th at 8-over, and Zoe Dull (9-over) is T11.
Fennell shot 76-73 – 149; Morgan posted twin 75s and stands at 150; and Dull shot 72-79 – 151. Also for the Chippewas, Milly Pantepin shot 81-73 – 154 and Lexi Schulman carded 80-77 – 157.
Pantepin, playing as an individual, is tied for 16th and Schulman is tied for 25th.
"I was really pleased by the top-to-bottom depth that we showed," Williams said. "Through our lineup today everyone contributed and got us to where we're at. Looking forward to tomorrow and seeing what we can do."
Niskanen, who closed with a pair of 1-under 71s for a T4 finish last week at A-Ga-Ming, overcame a rough start in Monday's first round, playing her first three holes in 4-over par, to play her final 14 at even par. Her second-round 1-over 72 included three birdies and four bogeys.
She made a tournament-high 24 pars on the day.
"With a start like that it's easy to get rattled it's easy to get down and out and then to kind of press and make dumb mistakes, but she didn't do any of that," Williams said. "She played steady golf the rest of the first round and then just played really, really solid and took advantage of some opportunities later in the day and made a few birdies.
"She made a ton of pars out there and that's what this golf course is asking you to do.
"Today was a really, really good day for Rachel. It didn't seem spectacular. It didn't seem special, it just seemed like she was doing what she does and that's really great to see. I'm really happy for Rachel and her performance today and just excited about what that says about what we can expect from her going forward. She's taken big steps in her game in the last couple of years."
The Chippewas' win last weekend at A-Ga-Ming was their first since 2023. They entered the final round there with a 15-shot lead and won going away, topping runner-up Bowling Green by 21 shots.
Their lead heading into Tuesday's final round at the Rocket Classic is more precarious, just three shots, but the experience of sleeping on the lead and then closing strong should help, Williams said.
"Having last week's experience, it helps," he said. "I think we're ready for it. So that's exciting.
"It's hard to follow up a performance like we had last weekend, to show up and kind of manage your expectations and just play solid golf because you get a little excited, you get that taste and it can be hard to validate that performance. We did that today and I'm really hoping that we do it again tomorrow."
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Golf
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/ Women's Golf
Friday, September 11
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Saturday, April 25
Saturday, April 25