POINT CLEAR, Ala. – Lucia Gonzalez finished fourth overall and earned All-Tournament Team honors as Old Dominion Women's Golf advanced to the Sun Belt Women's Golf Championship Semifinals on Wednesday at Lakewood Golf Club.
As a group, the Monarchs combined for a 21-over par 885. Texas State earned the top seed for the Semifinal round with a three-under 861 and the Bobcats' Hailey Jones was the individual medalist with a five-under 211. Also advancing to the Semifinal round were Georgia Southern, who took second with a 13-over 877, and ULM, who came in third with a 15-over 879. The Warhawks' Daniela Campillo was the individual runner-up and three strokes back of Jones with a two-under 214.
"It is really exciting to be apart of the first ever Sun Belt Conference Championship to. be decided by match play," said ODU Head Coach Mallory Kane. "It took a heroic effort to make the final four! Our players were clutch on the last three holes when our backs were up against the wall. We love match play and will give it everything we have tomorrow."
Match play for the four advancing teams will begin at 8:30 a.m. ET on Thursday with the individual matchups to be determined following a coaches' meeting at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow. ODU will square off against Texas State with the winner advancing to the Championship Finals later in the day. Fans can watch on ESPN+ or follow along with live stats on GolfStat.
Gonzalez entered the day tied for third at one-over par 145 while the Monarchs sat in fourth place and were one stroke ahead of Marshall with a 15-over 591. The sophomore from Monterrey, Mexico went one-over with a 37 on the front nine, then made a couple of birdie putts on the back nine to end up with a final round of one-under 71 and an even 216 total.
Arkansas State was one stroke back of ODU and threatening a playoff for the fourth and final spot to advance to match play. Needing at least a par on the 18th hole to hold off the Red Wolves, Gonzalez's approach shot set her up for a 15-foot attempt for birdie. Her putt came to a stop a couple feet short of the cup, and she tapped it in to send the Monarchs' on to Thursday.
High 5s all around as the Monarchs are headed to the #SunBeltWG Championship Semifinals on Thursday! ???#ODUSports | #ReignOn | #Monarchs pic.twitter.com/8df1gK2Di8
— ODU Women's Golf (@ODUWGolf) April 17, 2024
Puneet Bajwa moved up 11 spots in the individual standings after carding a one-under 71. The freshman from Mohali, India made four birdies on the day to tie for 10th with a four-over 220. Carley Rudolf fired a 75 on Wednesday to tie for 23rd at 223 (+7), Klara Wildhaber shot a 77 to tie for 31st with a 226 (+10), and Minami Kudo hit an 81 to finish with a two-round total of 162 (+18).
Team Results
1. Texas State (287-294-280 – 861) -3
2. Georgia Southern (288-301-288 – 877) +13
3. ULM (284-303-292 – 879) +15
4. Old Dominion (290-301-294 – 885) +21
5. Arkansas State (301-293-292 – 886) +22
6. Coastal Carolina (294-307-287 – 888) +24
7. Marshall (301-292-297 – 890) +26
8. Southern Miss (291-307-294 – 892) +28
9. Georgia State (298-301-298 – 897) +33
10. James Madison (297-306-305 – 908) +44
11. Troy (309-312-298 – 919) +55
12. App State (316-309-320 – 945) +81
13. South Alabama (339-350-339 – 1028) +164
ODU Lineup
4. Lucia Gonzalez (72-73-71 – 216) E
T10. Puneet Bajwa (73-76-71 – 220) +4
T23. Carley Rudolf (75-73-75 – 223) +7
T31. Klara Wildhaber (70-79-77 – 226) +10
65. Minami Kudo (81-/-81 – 162) +18
Leiu Yuenyong (/-81-/ – 81) +9
All-Tournament Team
Hailey Jones, Gr., Texas State
Daniela Campillo, Fr., ULM
Hannah Karg, Gr., Coastal Carolina
Lucia Gonzalez, So., Old Dominion
Junia Gabasa, Sr., Texas State
Kasey McIlvaine, Fr., Marshall