The Northern Michigan University women’s golf team poses with tournament cards after winning the Lewis Fleyer Spring Invitational on April 5-6 at Wheaton, Ill. (Photo courtesy NMU)

\MARQUETTE — If recent success is any gauge, the Northern Michigan University women’s golf team could make some real noise at this weekend’s GLIAC Championships being held in the downstate Kalamazoo County community of Augusta.

The Wildcats won the title over six other teams less than two weeks ago at the Lewis Flyer Spring Invitational in Illinois, holding off runner-up Quincy by a half-dozen strokes.

Two weeks before that, NMU finished second of nine teams at the Klash in Kentucky held in Perry Park, Kentucky.

The conference tourney will be held in the same town that the men’s event was held last weekend, though the women’s tournament takes place at Stonehedge North, one of six courses at the Gull Lake View complex.

Stonehedge North includes forested terrain and formidable elevation changes, according to NMU Sports Information, with six par-3s, six par-4s and also six par-5s.

At the Lewis Flyer Invite that closed out Northern’s regular season on April 5-6, Maya Hunter led the Wildcats by winning the individual title after shooting rounds of 75 and 74 for a 149 total, and like her team, a six-stroke victory. Hunter had five birdies over her two rounds.

She actually was in second place by a single stroke after her first round before nearly lapping the field under tougher conditions during the closing round.

NMU totaled 320 and 332 for a 652 total.

Alyssa Yaggie was No. 2 for NMU with 78-88–166, also finishing 10th overall, while teammate Maggie Pietila was next with 81-87–168 and 13th overall.

Hailey Bolander carded 87-83–170 to finish tied for 15th, while Payton Donnelly tied for 26th with 86-88–174.

In addition, the Wildcats’ Payton Dube competed as an individual and shot 91-97–188.

NMU’s strength was its par-3 scoring, leading the field with a 3.20-per-hole average, while it’s par-4 scoring was second in the field at 4.65 per hole.

Hunter led the entire field in scoring on par-4s and par-5s, while Donnelly was even-par on par-3s for the best scoring in the field on those short holes.

On March 23-24, Hunter again led Northern with an individual runner-up finish, shooting 78-74–152, trailing only the individual medalist from Ashland by five strokes and finishing two strokes better than the third-place golfer from Quincy.

Bolander had 83-79–162, while Pietila and Dube each had 166. Dube improved from 89 her opening round to finish with 77.

NMU’s Gabriella Moreau had 181.

Teamwise, Northern shot 332 and 312 for 644. Ashland won with 309-306–615, while the Wildcats finished one stroke ahead of the third-place team.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.