Northern Illinois Women's Golf 12th At 17-Team Southern Illinois Saluki Invitational

With three individuals in the Top 10, the University of Michigan women’s golf team built a sevem-stroke first-round lead at the 10th Annual Saluki Invitational on the Hickory Ridge Golf Course Sunday (March 28).

The Big Ten Conference Wolverines topped the 17-school field with a 310 team total, followed by tourney host Southern Illinois University (317), the University of Northern Iowa (320), and Illinois State University (324) after the first 18 holes Coach Pam Tyska’s Northern Illinois University entry stands in 12th place with 345 team strokes.

Michigan’s top three entries all fired rounds in the 70s. UM’s Laura Olin holds down the No. 2 spot in the tourney with a one-over-par 37 - 36 -- 73 total. Teammates Ali Stinson (39 - 37 -- 76) and Brandi Broderick (44 - 35 -- 79) are fifth and tied for eighth, respectively, after the opening round. Illinois State’s Hilary Anderson leads the field with a 37 / 35 -- 72.

The 36-hole meet concludes Monday (March 29) with a 9 a.m. (CST) shotgun start on the par 72, 5,999-yard Hickory Ridge layout.

Best news for the Huskies? Northern Illinois is only 11 team strokes out of seventh place. Top first-round scorecards for the locals included sophomore Jackie Bailey (Decatur / Warrensburg-Latham) with a 39 - 42 -- 81 aggregate for a tie for 17th place and junior Jamie Carney (Rolling Meadows) with a 43 - 41 -- 84 total for a tie for 32nd. Other first-round NIU totals---frosh Lisa Bailey (Decatur / Warrensburg-Latham) with an 89, soph Allison Williams (Hoffman Estates / Palatine Fremd) with a 91, soph Irish Whalen (Hanover / River Ridge) with a 91, and soph Jackie Heslop (Pequot Lakes, MN) with a 97.