Southern Illinois University
Missouri Valley Conference Championship
Salukis seeking first MVC title since 2007
04/13/2017 | 11:14:00 | Women's Golf
Southern is hosting this year's MVC Championship
What: Missouri Valley Conference Championships
Where: Dalhousie Golf Club, Cape Girardeau, Missouri
When: Sunday April, 16 to Tuesday April, 18
Who: Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana State, Loyola, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Wichita State
The Saluki Women's golf team will play in the Missouri Valley Conference Championships starting on Sunday at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
The entire season has led up to this point, and Southern has put itself in a great position to win its first conference championship since 2007. The Salukis are familiar with Dalhousie and boast a starting five composed completely of upperclassmen. In the 11 tournaments the team has played, SIU has won three team titles and finished in the top-five nine times.
Head coach Alexis Mihelich said this team has the best chance to win conference of any that she has coached.
"There has never been a more mentally prepared group of five in the six years I've been here," she said. "I really trust this lineup. I'm excited for these five to demonstrate their abilities on this championship golf course with championship hole locations."
Seniors Brooke Cusumano, Xianmei Jin and Kirsitie Yang and juniors Hanna Netisingha and Alice Ho make up the team for this year's MVC Championship. The five have combined to play in 130 rounds this season and 19 top-10 finishes.
Southern is not only familiar with Dalhousie, but since the Salukis host, the course has been tailored to fit the team's strengths. The course will play difficult, just how the team likes it.
"This championship is going to come down to the team that plays bogey or better golf. We are in the best possible position to make the most pars, given the course set-up," Mihelich said. "It will favor the kind of golf we play as a team."
Despite playing on its home course, Southern was picked third with two first-place votes by the coaches of the Missouri Valley Conference. Three-time defending champion Wichita State was picked first with five first-place votes. Bradley was chosen second, edging out the Salukis by one vote. If Wichita wins, the Shockers will become the second team in conference history to win four-straight MVC Championships.
The last time all of the Valley schools met was the MVC Preview in October at Dalhousie Golf Club, the Salukis finished as the second-best conference team at the event. Southern's 289 in the second round was the lowest of any team score of the tournament.
From an individual standpoint, Brooke Cusumano could break several program records with a strong performance. Cusumano could set a new school record for scoring average in a season as well as tie the school record for wins in a season if she wins the conference's individual championship. She is one round at par or better from tying the school record for rounds at par or better in a season.
The MVC Championship starts on Sunday and concludes on Tuesday. One round will be played each day. Sunday and Monday's rounds are scheduled to start at 10 a.m., the final round is scheduled for 9 a.m. The awards ceremony will commence immediately following the conclusion of the final round. Live scoring will be available on Golfstat.com.
Players Mentioned
