Racers Voted Favorites For OVC Women's Golf Title

The Murray State Racers were picked as the favorite in the preseason predictions for the 2019 spring women's golf season by the head coaches of the Ohio Valley Conference.

The vote saw the two-time defending champion Racers pick up five of the nine first-place votes and 60 total points to edge Eastern Kentucky, who received the other four first-place votes and 58 points. Jacksonville State was tabbed third (52) and followed by Austin Peay (43), Tennessee Tech (34), Belmont (31), Morehead State (23), Eastern Illinois (14) and Tennessee State (9).

In the fall of 2018, the Racers showed their experience and promising youth by winning two events and turning in a pair of top-3 finishes. Senior Linette Holmslykke was honored as OVC Golfer of the Week three times last fall and enters the spring season first in the OVC in stroke average (72.6). Freshman Sarah McDowell had a pair of top-5 finishes and is 10^th in the OVC in stroke average (76.1). Along with Holmslykke, the Racers also return All-OVC level talent in seniors Anna Moore and Jane Watts and juniors Lucila Puente Rodiguez and Raeysha Surendran.

Coach Velvet Milkman's program has won the last two OVC championships (11 total) and get the chance to make it three in a row if they can win at the 2019 OVC Tournament (April 15-17) at the Schoolmaster Course at The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at The Shoals in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. A win would match the other two times that the Racers have won three consecutive titles (1997-99) and (2002-04).

The spring season for the Racers gets going at the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate (Feb. 24-26) in Charleston, S.C., as the Racers will have five events to prepare for the OVC main event. Other events include The North Florida Intercollegiate (March 4-5) in Jacksonville, Fla., the Citrus Challenge (March 17-19) in Sorrento, Fla., the John Kirk – Panther Intercollegiate (March 31-April 2) in Stockbridge, Ga., and the Jan Weaver Invitational (April 5-6) at the Racers' home course, Miller Memorial in Murray.

OVC Women's Predicted Order of Finish
Murray State (5 first-place votes) – 60 points
Eastern Kentucky (4 first-place votes) – 58
Jacksonville State – 52
Austin Peay – 43
Tennessee Tech – 34
Belmont – 31
Morehead State – 23
Eastern Illinois – 14
Tennessee State – 9

Players Mentioned

Sarah Forsythe

Linette Holmslykke

Anna Moore

Raeysha Surendran

Jane Watts

Murray State University Athletics