Contact: Jenna McElroy, Sports Info & Social Media Intern, mcelroy@midwestconference.org
 
GRINNELL, Iowa – The 2018 Midwest Conference (MWC) Women’s Golf Championship at Aldeen Golf Club in Rockford, Illinois is set to tee off this Friday at 11:00 a.m., weather permitting. If there are any changes to start times, every effort will be made to update the championship page.
 
Defending 2017 Champion Grinnell College was recently ranked eighth in the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) national Top-25 poll after beating out 13 nationally-ranked teams at the NCAA DIII Preview (Houston, Tex.), making the Pioneers the heavy favorite to claim their sixth league title in a row. The Pioneers average round score of 304 is 34 strokes lower than second-ranked Monmouth College thanks to a fall that saw them set a new school record of 301 for 18-holes. No other team has shot a better round than the seven Grinnell has played this fall. The Scots pose the greatest threat as they hold the final three spots in the Conference top ten for low rounds, as they also shot a school record for 18-holes with a 319.
 
Individually, the Pioneers have the top four golfers in the league with all four posting an average of 80 or below. First-year Nina Kouchi, the new Grinnell record-holder with a round of 69 at Illinois Wesleyan, leads the Conference with a 74.3 average just ahead of MWC Championship 18-hole record-holder Vidushi Sinha’s average of 74.9. Vrishali Sinha, the MWC Championship record-holder for 54-holes, follows close behind her teammates as she averages 75.4, while Danielle Oberlander completes the Pioneer quartet with an average of 80.
 
Monmouth enters the Championship coming off a win at the Aldeen Preview last Sunday and led by Mamie Ambrosch and Haley Hoekstra. It’s been a successful fall for Ambrosch as she shot a career-best 78 and broke the program record for 36-holes with a score of 157 at the Highland Classic. Ambrosch ranks fifth in the conference with an average of 81.4 which is a six-stroke improvement from last year as the sophomore hopes to move into an All-Conference place at this year’s championship. Hoekstra has earned All-Conference honors by finishing in the top ten two years in a row and looks to make it a third as her 82.3 average is seventh best in the MWC, just .3 out of sixth. The Scots round out the Conference leaderboard as Dani Freeman has put together an impressive first-year with her 86.5 average ranking tenth.
 
Illinois College finished fifth out of five scoring teams at last year’s MWC Championship, but the team’s average round of 348.9 ranks third in the Conference this fall. The Lady Blues will be led by Madi Peyton who has dropped six strokes off her average this year to rank eighth in the league at 82.9. Brooke Metzger and Lindsay Alewelt also both improved this year as they’re average rounds of 86.9 and 87.4 sit just outside the league top ten.
 
A pair of sophomores are leading the way at Lake Forest as the Foresters average of 357 ranks fourth in the league. Faith Jung and Amanda Lee, coming off All-Conference performances at the 2017 MWC Championship, are averaging near identical scores of 87.3 and 87.8 respectively. Junior Cece Cruz is just behind with an average of 88.5 and has shot a team-best low round of 82 and three top ten finishes this year.
 
St. Norbert is coming off a runner-up finish at last year’s MWC Championship but the Green Knights 2018 team average of 365.4 ranks fifth in the Conference. Elizabeth Bobinski is averaging a team-best 87.6 and two top ten finishes. Amy Holzer was St. Norbert’s top finisher at last year’s Championship tying for ninth and this season  is averaging a score of 90.9 followed closely by Kayley Sjoholm with a 91.6 average.
 
Rounding out the field will be Knox College, and while the Prairie Fire don’t have enough golfers to record a team score, their three golfers will factor into the individual standings as two rank in the top ten. Sam Nichols is no stranger having finished fourth and third the last two years respectively to earn All-Conference honors. Nichols 82 average ranks sixth in the league this year, while Shelby Keen is averaging just one stroke more at 83 to sit ninth in the field after finishing tied for 11th at the 2017 Championship. First-year Lynsie Pietrzak completes the Knox trio with an average of 97.
 
Knox College serves as the host of the 2018 MWC Women's Golf Championship at Aldeen Golf Club in Rockford, Illinois. Day One is set to begin on Friday, October 5 at 11:00 a.m. with play continuing through Sunday, October 7 with a start time of 10:00 a.m. on days two and three. Head to the championship page for the event program, tee times, results, and more.