STC grad Van Dyk leads UNI to win at ORU/SFA
TROPHY CLUB, Texas — The Northern Iowa women’s golf team finished in first place at the ORU/SFA Spring Break Invite on Wednesday.
The Panthers won all three rounds of the tournament as runner-up Texas-Arlington’s final team score of 944 fell a full 22 strokes short of UNI’s final of 922. The three-round sweep resulted in three top-10 individual finishes and the team’s first outright win since October 29, 2012.
South Tama County graduate Paige Van Dyk, a four-time all-state selection and two-time individual state champion for the Trojans, was the highest finisher for the Panthers, taking second place with a three-day score of 226, including an even-par 72 on the final day of competition after carding four birdies in the final round.
Right behind Van Dyk was Maddie Bertsch, who finished in fourth for UNI with a three-day score of 228. Bertsch also notched a pair of birdies on the final afternoon, lowering her score to a 2-over 74.
Emily Snelling rounded out the top-10 finishes for the Panthers as she finished the day with a 79, giving her a three-day score of 232.
UNI now heads to WeaverRidge Golf Club in Peoria, Ill., on March 30 for the Bradley Spring Invitational.