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Morehead State women’s golf team is only in its second full season, but entering this week’s Ohio Valley Conference Golf Championship, the Eagles are one of the early favorites.
Picked to win the league in the preseason poll, MSU has won three events this season and finished in a two-way tie for first in another, slipping to second because of tie-breaking procedures. The driving force for Morehead State has been coach Stephanie Barker’s ability both as a recruiter and as a teacher of the game.
"This group of women are right on the brink of doing something really special,” Barker said. “We have had a few rounds where we have been playing so well that I think we were pushing the threshold of our comfort zone. It seems like our confidence keeps growing and we are getting more used to shooting at par or under.”
The OVC Championship begins Thursday following a Wednesday practice round. The 54-hole championship will conclude Saturday, with the winner advancing to the NCAA Regionals. All three rounds will be played at Greystone Golf Club in Dickson, Tenn. The Eagles tee off in the first round beginning at 11:10 am ET.
The Eagles will enter the OVC Championship fresh off a tournament victory the EKU Lady Colonel Classic. MSU finished strong to defeat three other current OVC members and one future member. MSU has played head-to-head against OVC teams 17 times this season, and has not finished below any of their league brethren.
“To win last week while going into the last round as one of the leaders is another exceptional learning experience for our team. We are playing solid, enjoying the experience, and really having a lot of fun this year. This week should be another great experience for this very talented team,” Barker said.
Senior leadership has been one of many keys to MSU’s success and because of that, Barker will take her two seniors to the OVC Championship with her.
Senior Darlene Bognot has been steady for the Eagles this season equaling the team’s low round of 70 in the first event of the season, a tri-match with Marshall and Eastern Kentucky. She has played in all nine events, has a stroke average of 80.5 and one top-five finish.
Joining Bognot at Greystone will be classmate Ashley Redmond. A Newhall, Calif. native, Redmond has a stroke average close to Bognot’s at 80.8. She has one top-10 finish in four events played this year. Both Redmond and Bognot are transfers from the College of the Canyons.
One junior, Paige Lausier will be among MSU’s five golfers at the championship. A transfer from Kentucky that hails from Ocala, Fla., Lausier played in all nine events for the Eagles this year. She has two top-five finishes and one other top-20 placing. She has the third-lowest stroke average on the team with a 78.9. Her low round is a 72 and she was seven over relative to par for the season.
Sophomore Emma Jonsson, number two in stroke average with a 77.6, is one of three Swedes on the team and the only one scheduled to compete at the championship. Jonsson has six top-20 finishes in nine events, four of which were top 10 and two in the top five. A Taby, Sweden native, she has a low round of 73 and is six over relative to par this season.
Many eyes will be on freshman phenom Marisa Kamelgarn. She joined the team in the fall from Mahopac, N.Y. after a successful high school career on the boys team at Mahopac High School. Kamelgarn finished sixth in her second collegiate event and won her third, the Cincinnati Fall Classic. It was there she equaled Bognot’s low round of 70. In all she has seven top-20 finishes in nine events. Six of those were top 10 and four were top five. She has a team-low 75.9 stroke average and is four over relative to par.
“We are excited about our opportunity this week,” Barker said. “I’m really proud of how our team has played all season long. We have a great group of girls who not only are talented enough to win, but also are a lot of fun to coach.”
The OVC women's golf title will be contested amongst the eight women's teams that sponsor the sport - Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Morehead State, Murray State, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech. The opening round starts on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. and Greystone will be played at 6,049 yards and par 72. Live results will be available on MSUEagles.com and OVCSports.com.