By Journal Sports Staff

BIG RAPIDS — Junior Haley Hewer finished as the top golfer for Northern Michigan University at the NCAA Division II East Super Regional, but it wasn’t enough for the Wildcats to qualify for the upcoming NCAA Championships.

NMU slipped from third place after the first day to fourth after Day 2 and to seventh when the meet ended, missing the top-three finish it needed to advance.

Still, it was an improvement over last year’s result with the program just completing its third season.

The Wildcats scored 947, just six strokes behind fourth-place Findlay but 34 behind the last team to qualify for the NCAAs, Missouri-St. Louis. Indianapolis won the meet with 882, bypassing the leader after the first two rounds, Grand Valley State, which was runner-up with 887.

Hewer finished in 12th place individually with 227 after a final round 77 following a start of 71-79.

Sophomore teammate Caro Els was next, tied for 27th with 236 with 80-76-80–236, while Karissa Guthrie shot 75-82-80–237 to tie for 31st, then came senior Avery Rochester, a Marquette Senior High School graduate, with 75-85-88– 248 to come in 54th.

The team was rounded out by junior Alyce Krumm, who had 86-95-87–268.

Guthrie was named to the All-GLIAC First Team, a first in program history, while Hewer, Els and Rochester all made the Second Team.

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