The Wildcats finished at 151-over-par for the three rounds, a score of 1,015 after shooting a 52-over 340, 37-over 325 and 62-over 350. The first two rounds were played Saturday and the third round on Sunday morning.

It was an uphill battle for NMU, which only had a chance to play five competitive rounds this spring, technically three of those rounds being played in late winter at the Saddlebrook Spring Kickoff in Florida in the first week of March.

The other two rounds came in suburban Chicago on March 30 and in Iowa on April 4, even though the latter was a 27-hole round.

The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship was held on Saturday and Sunday at Stonehedge Golf Club in Augusta, located between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, the same place the men’s tourney was held on Thursday and Friday.

Abbie Pietila NMU golfer

The top two teams in each event advanced to the team match-play finals, for the women coming on Sunday afternoon. That was a change from what was originally announced, with four teams advancing and playing two rounds of match play to come up with a champion, which would’ve necessitated a third day in each event.

In the women’s field, Grand Valley State, ranked No. 13 in NCAA Division II, won the stroke play qualifying portion at 31-over 895, with national No. 32 Ferris State a close runner-up with 35-over 899.

Saginaw Valley State was third at 53-over 917, while Wayne State and Wisconsin-Parkside tied for fourth, each with 71-over 935.

Other scores were Davenport in sixth with 75-over 939 and Purdue Northwest seventh with 110-over 974, 41 strokes ahead of NMU.

Ferris went on to win the team championship, defeating GVSU 3.5 to 1.5 in individual head-to-head finals.

Northern Michigan University’s Abbie Pietila watches a shot during the GLIAC Championship meet held at the Stonehedge Golf Club in downstate Augusta last weekend. She led the Wildcats with her 25th-place finish over three rounds. (Photo courtesy NMU)

In the men’s tourney, No. 1 stroke play finisher Grand Valley swept No. 2 Davenport 5-0 Friday afternoon for that title.

For the Northern women, their middle-round score was a 15-stroke improvement over its opening round, and while still the highest in the field, was within 16 strokes of every one of the non-finalist teams that round.

Sophomore Abbie Pietila led the Wildcats, finishing in 25th place with a 28-over 244 after rounds of 8-over 80, 4-over 76 and 16-over 88.

She registered three birdies, two in the second round on the par-4 seventh and par-4 10th, the latter her final hole of that round. She also birdied the par-5 14th in the final round, her fourth hole that round.

Pietila also put together 30 pars with 13 bogeys, six double-bogeys and two triple-bogeys. While her first round didn’t include a birdie, it did have 13 pars.

Junior Payton Donnelly was next for NMU, tying for 28th with a 32-over 248 on rounds of 82, 83 and 83. Like Pietila, she had three birdies, two in the first round on the par-5 fifth and par-3 17th, the latter her fourth hole of the day. She also birdied the par-5 18th in her second round, her fifth hole that round.

She mixed in 26 pars, 17 bogeys, six double-bogeys and two triple-bogeys.

Bunched together in the standings were sophomore Maddy Martens in 36th, freshman Aavra Relich in 37th and senior Gabriella Moreau in 38th. Each recorded a birdie.

Martens came in at 39-over 255 on rounds of 87, 77 and 91, getting her birdie in the final round on the par-4 sixth. She accumulated 25 pars, including her first six holes in the second round.

Relich was at 52-over 268 with 91, 89 and 88, getting a birdie on the same hole and in the same round as Martens — the par-4 sixth in the final round.

She also had 22 pars, including a stretch of five straight in the middle of her second round.

Moreau came in with 62-over 278 by shooting 92, 95 and 91, getting her lone birdie in the second round on the par-5 ninth. She had 11 pars, with four straight in the middle of her final round.

Ferris State’s Kamryn Shannon won a close, bunched-up race for medalist, shooting a 4-over 220 on rounds of 74, 73 and 73, beating out three other players by a single stroke with three more players within four strokes.

Tying for runner-up at 5-over 221 was Grand Valley’s Charlotte Goersch (74-73-74), Saginaw Valley’s Marissa GeRue (73-76-72) and Davenport Lauren Gervais (75-73-73).

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the meet. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.