Murray State University Athletics
Monday, May 6
Opelika, Ala.
Murray State
vs
NCAA Regional
Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics
Racers Ready To Represent OVC At NCAA Regional At Auburn
5/3/2019 10:23:00 AM | Women's Golf
For the sixth time and the third consecutive season, the Murray State Racers are in the 2019 NCAA Women's Golf Championship.
The Racers are the No. 18 seed when play begins (May 6) at Saugahatchee Country Club in Opelika, Alabama. The 54-hole event will send the top-6 teams to the NCAA Finals and the Racers hope to advance for the first time when the event finishes May 8. Auburn University is the host of the event.Â
The Goal Is To Advance
The Racers are in what many would consider the most talented regional at Auburn. The Racers are seeded No. 18 in the field of teams of the same number because of their GolfStat.com ranking of 165 (there are 260 NCAA D-I teams), but the Racers' individual average score of 75.1 is 17th.
The Racers will be paired with Albany, No. 17, of the Metro Atlantic Conference and South Alabama of the Sun Belt, who is the No. 16 seed.Â
Sunday calls for a practice day at Saugahatchee CC with the Racers starting at 10:06 a.m. Their Monday tee time (with partners Albany and South Alabama) starts from the 10th tee at 9:50 a.m. with freshman Sarah McDowell hitting MSU's first shot of the event.Â
A total of 384 participants have been selected for NCAA regional competition. Of these players, 132 will advance to the championships finals at (May 17-22) at The Blessings GC in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Six teams and three individuals will advance from each regional. The other three regional sites includeÂ
The other three regionals include: Cle Elum, Washington (Tumble Creek Golf Club), Norman, Oklahoma (Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club) and East Lansing, Michigan (Forest Akers West Golf Course).
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There were a total of 27 conferences that received automatic qualification to the 2019 Division I Women's Golf Championships.
Racers Back For Third Straight Run At NCAAÂ
The Racers will try to post a better score in each of their three-consecutive appearances in the NCAA Regional at Saugahatchee. In 2016 in Lubbock, Texas, the Racers carded an OVC record at the NCAAs with a 916 and in 2017 in Madison, Wisc., they shaved four shots off that and scored a 912.
A year ago, Anna Moore led the way for the Racers with a spot in 47th place on scores of 73-75-73=221, while Holmslykke and Raeshya Surendran shared 86th place. Holmslykke had scores of 77-80-78=235 and Surendran had scores of 80-75-80=235.
OVC NCAA Women's Golf History
The OVC has been sending its champion to the NCAA Regional since Jacksonville State won the league title in 2005. The Racers made their first appearance in 2009 with a trip to Columbus, Ohio to play the famed Scarlet Course. They made their second NCAA trip in 2010 to Otter Creek in Columbus, Indiana. Four seasons later, the Racers were in Tallahassee, Fla., at Southwood CC where Delaney Howson set the MSU scoring record for the NCAAs with a total of 220. It still stands today, but 2019 OVC medalist, Anna Moore, scored a 221 a year ago at Madison, Wisc., at University Ridge GC. In 2017, the Racers were in Lubbock, Texas at The Rawls Course.
2019 marks the 15th appearance of the OVC champion at the NCAA Regional. The Racers' best finish in five previous tries was 15th place in Lubbock in 2017, which is tied for the best finish for an OVC team as Eastern Kentucky also placed 15th in 2015 in South Bend, Ind.
Dominant Final Round Leads To 12th OVC Title
The Murray State Racers completed the Three-peat when they won the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference Women's Golf Championship (April 17) by 20 shots at The Shoals Golf Club in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The Racers' 12th OVC championship means they have won three in a row three times in program history. Coach Velvet Milkman's teams also did it from 1997-99 and 2002-2004.
MSU's final round 284 beat the 2017 OVC Championship record of 286 that was shared by MSU and Eastern Kentucky. The Racers' final total of 864 (4-under-par) eclipsed the 866 from Murray State's win at Hampton Cove also in 2017. The final tally read 291-289-284=864 which gave MSU a sizable 20-shot win over the nearest competitor, Eastern Kentucky, at 296-289-299=884.
The Racers averaged 288.0 in winning the OVC title and broke the per round scoring record of 288.67 that MSU recorded in 2017.
Anna Moore Becomes MSU's Ninth OVC Medalist
Murray State graduate student Anna Moore became the ninth OVC medalist winner in MSU history with a one-shot win over teammate Linette Holmslykke. Moore did it on scores of 73-66-72=211 for a total of 5-under par. Moore's second round 6-under 66 was her career-best and tied the event record by MSU's Moa Folke in 2017.Â
Holmslykke Becomes OVC Player Of The Year
MSU senior Linette Holmslykke was named the Racers' ninth OVC Player of the Year. The senior from Denmark led the OVC this season with a 72.9 scoring average. A model of consistency, Holmslykke had six finishes of second place including at the OVC Championship. Her season-low round came this spring at the John Kirk Intercollegiate in Georgia when she carded a 4-under-par 68.
Coach Milkman - MSU's First & Only Coach
Murray State Coach Velvet Milkman is the only coach that Murray State has ever had since she launched the program in 1993. In her 26th season, Milkman has coached 48 All-OVC Players and a conference-leading 10 OVC Player of the Year winners, including current senior Linette Holmslykke in 2019.
In her 26 seasons in leading the Racers, every one of Milkman's players that have stayed for all four seasons has graduated and won at least one OVC championship.
Milkman was an outstanding collegiate player in her own right at Alabama and was part of the Crimson Tide's 1987 national championship.
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The Racers are the No. 18 seed when play begins (May 6) at Saugahatchee Country Club in Opelika, Alabama. The 54-hole event will send the top-6 teams to the NCAA Finals and the Racers hope to advance for the first time when the event finishes May 8. Auburn University is the host of the event.Â
The Goal Is To Advance
The Racers are in what many would consider the most talented regional at Auburn. The Racers are seeded No. 18 in the field of teams of the same number because of their GolfStat.com ranking of 165 (there are 260 NCAA D-I teams), but the Racers' individual average score of 75.1 is 17th.
The Racers will be paired with Albany, No. 17, of the Metro Atlantic Conference and South Alabama of the Sun Belt, who is the No. 16 seed.Â
Sunday calls for a practice day at Saugahatchee CC with the Racers starting at 10:06 a.m. Their Monday tee time (with partners Albany and South Alabama) starts from the 10th tee at 9:50 a.m. with freshman Sarah McDowell hitting MSU's first shot of the event.Â
A total of 384 participants have been selected for NCAA regional competition. Of these players, 132 will advance to the championships finals at (May 17-22) at The Blessings GC in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Six teams and three individuals will advance from each regional. The other three regional sites includeÂ
The other three regionals include: Cle Elum, Washington (Tumble Creek Golf Club), Norman, Oklahoma (Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club) and East Lansing, Michigan (Forest Akers West Golf Course).
Â
There were a total of 27 conferences that received automatic qualification to the 2019 Division I Women's Golf Championships.
Racers Back For Third Straight Run At NCAAÂ
The Racers will try to post a better score in each of their three-consecutive appearances in the NCAA Regional at Saugahatchee. In 2016 in Lubbock, Texas, the Racers carded an OVC record at the NCAAs with a 916 and in 2017 in Madison, Wisc., they shaved four shots off that and scored a 912.
A year ago, Anna Moore led the way for the Racers with a spot in 47th place on scores of 73-75-73=221, while Holmslykke and Raeshya Surendran shared 86th place. Holmslykke had scores of 77-80-78=235 and Surendran had scores of 80-75-80=235.
OVC NCAA Women's Golf History
The OVC has been sending its champion to the NCAA Regional since Jacksonville State won the league title in 2005. The Racers made their first appearance in 2009 with a trip to Columbus, Ohio to play the famed Scarlet Course. They made their second NCAA trip in 2010 to Otter Creek in Columbus, Indiana. Four seasons later, the Racers were in Tallahassee, Fla., at Southwood CC where Delaney Howson set the MSU scoring record for the NCAAs with a total of 220. It still stands today, but 2019 OVC medalist, Anna Moore, scored a 221 a year ago at Madison, Wisc., at University Ridge GC. In 2017, the Racers were in Lubbock, Texas at The Rawls Course.
2019 marks the 15th appearance of the OVC champion at the NCAA Regional. The Racers' best finish in five previous tries was 15th place in Lubbock in 2017, which is tied for the best finish for an OVC team as Eastern Kentucky also placed 15th in 2015 in South Bend, Ind.
Dominant Final Round Leads To 12th OVC Title
The Murray State Racers completed the Three-peat when they won the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference Women's Golf Championship (April 17) by 20 shots at The Shoals Golf Club in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The Racers' 12th OVC championship means they have won three in a row three times in program history. Coach Velvet Milkman's teams also did it from 1997-99 and 2002-2004.
MSU's final round 284 beat the 2017 OVC Championship record of 286 that was shared by MSU and Eastern Kentucky. The Racers' final total of 864 (4-under-par) eclipsed the 866 from Murray State's win at Hampton Cove also in 2017. The final tally read 291-289-284=864 which gave MSU a sizable 20-shot win over the nearest competitor, Eastern Kentucky, at 296-289-299=884.
The Racers averaged 288.0 in winning the OVC title and broke the per round scoring record of 288.67 that MSU recorded in 2017.
Anna Moore Becomes MSU's Ninth OVC Medalist
Murray State graduate student Anna Moore became the ninth OVC medalist winner in MSU history with a one-shot win over teammate Linette Holmslykke. Moore did it on scores of 73-66-72=211 for a total of 5-under par. Moore's second round 6-under 66 was her career-best and tied the event record by MSU's Moa Folke in 2017.Â
Holmslykke Becomes OVC Player Of The Year
MSU senior Linette Holmslykke was named the Racers' ninth OVC Player of the Year. The senior from Denmark led the OVC this season with a 72.9 scoring average. A model of consistency, Holmslykke had six finishes of second place including at the OVC Championship. Her season-low round came this spring at the John Kirk Intercollegiate in Georgia when she carded a 4-under-par 68.
Coach Milkman - MSU's First & Only Coach
Murray State Coach Velvet Milkman is the only coach that Murray State has ever had since she launched the program in 1993. In her 26th season, Milkman has coached 48 All-OVC Players and a conference-leading 10 OVC Player of the Year winners, including current senior Linette Holmslykke in 2019.
In her 26 seasons in leading the Racers, every one of Milkman's players that have stayed for all four seasons has graduated and won at least one OVC championship.
Milkman was an outstanding collegiate player in her own right at Alabama and was part of the Crimson Tide's 1987 national championship.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
PLAYER
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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