April 16, 2023

Tech ranked fourth after opening day of OVC Championships

MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. – The Tennessee Tech women's golf team worked through the first of three rounds of competition at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships Sunday afternoon, wrapping up 18 holes at the Fighting Joe Course at The Shoals.

By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. – The Tennessee Tech women's golf team worked through the first of three rounds of competition at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships Sunday afternoon, wrapping up 18 holes at the Fighting Joe Course at The Shoals.

The purple and gold registered a first-round total of 322 to end the opening day of action fourth among the seven league squads, finishing just one shot back of Lindenwood for third place. Morehead State led the field with a 307, boasting a one-stroke lead over Little Rock. Morehead's Ruth Toennessen and Little Rock's Katja Mueller led all individuals with matching scores of 74.

For the Golden Eagles, it was Makenzie Morton leading the way, tying for sixth among the 34 participants in the field with a 78. The senior turned in three birdies to finish 6-over for the day.

Just a few hours before being named to the All-OVC Team, senior Elisabeth Toennessen locked down a round of 80 to tie for 12th overall. She tallied one birdie on the day. Just one shot back was her twin sister, Katrine Toennessen, carding an 81 with one birdie to tie for 15th.

Tying for 17th in her first-ever taste of OVC action was rookie Kaydi Rhodes. The freshman posted one birdie, finishing the day with an 83. Rounding out the purple and gold's lineup for the day was Ainsley Simms, who also was named to the All-OVC Team for her season's performance later in the evening. The junior tied for 21st with an 85 and a birdie.

Round two of the OVC Championships is set to begin Monday morning with tee times starting at 8:00 a.m. CT.

Top 5 Teams:
1.	Morehead State	307	+19
2.	Little Rock	308	+20
3.	Lindenwood	321	+33
4.	Tennessee Tech	322	+34
5.	Tennessee State	339	+51

Leaderboard (34 Golfers)
T-1.	Katja Mueller (Little Rock)	74	+2
T-1.	Ruth Toennessen (Morehead State)	74	+2
T-6.	Makenzie Morton	78	+6
T-12.	Elisabeth Toennessen	80	+8
T-15.	Katrine Toennessen	81	+9
T-17.	Kaydi Rhodes	83	+11
T-21.	Ainsley Simms	85	+13