April 30, 2006
2006 MAC Women's Golf Championships Final Results (PDF)
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INDIAN SPRINGS, Ohio - Ohio University senior Ana Brown played the best tournament of her career to tie for third at the 2006 Mid-American Conference Championships as the Bobcats finished fifth out of eight teams.
"I just felt really, really comfortable with my irons," said Brown, a native of nearby West Chester, Ohio. "I was really just focusing on getting the ball in the fairway so that I could have approach shots that I could get close to the hole. Then I was just making putts all over the place so it was all coming together for me."
Brown shot a one-over-par 73 on Sunday to end with a 72-hole score of 294 (75-71-75-73), tying her with Kent State's Becky Wood for third place out of 40 individual competitors. Coming into the event, Brown's best round of the spring was a 75. Her 71 in the second round tied her career-best for a single round.
"Ana was just so consistent all weekend," said Ohio assistant coach Jeff Hetler. "That's the best four rounds she's played in her collegiate career. She avoided the trouble on the course and made the most birdies in the tournament so I'm really proud of the way she finished."
The Golden Flashes swept the top two individual spots on the way to their eighth straight conference title. Individual medalist honors went to Kent sophomore Tara Delaney, who carded a 287 (73-69-74-71) to edge out teammate Kira Meixner by four strokes.
All five Kent State golfers placed in the top 10 as the Golden Flashes posted a team score of 1166 (295-289-298-284) to beat runner-up Toledo by 60 strokes. Ball State finished third at 1230 while Western Michigan snuck past Ohio on the final day to claim fourth with a mark of 1231.
The Bobcats ended with a team score of 1239 (302-315-314-308) on the 5,822-yard, par-72 Walden Ponds Golf Club course just north of Cincinnati. Ohio junior Shanna Siefke (Toledo, Ohio) tied for 21st at 315 (80-79-77-79) while senior Julie Tomlinson (Noblesville, Ind.) tied for 24th at 316 (73-81-83-79).
Also competing for the Bobcats were juniors Kristen Mautz (Upper Arlington, Ohio) and Meredith Waterston (Bloomington, Minn.). Mautz carded a 320 (75-84-79-82) to tie for 27th and Waterston tied for 36th with a 328 (79-85-87-77).
Tomlinson, who played through the pain of a shoulder injury this entire spring, concluded her collegiate career with the program's top career scoring average. Her mark of 79.42 strokes-per-round surpassed the previous best of 79.56 held by Julee Sovesky, who played for the Bobcats from 1998-2001.
Brown, meanwhile, completed her collegiate career with the seventh-best career average at 80.72, moving up two spots since the beginning of her senior campaign.
"It's going to be tough losing Julie and Ana, who both have been such a huge part of our golf team for the last four years," said Hetler about his two seniors. "It's a big loss but we're just grateful we had them here for four years and for everything they contributed to the program. We're going to miss them, that's for sure."
