The Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars wrapped up the Findlay Spring Invite at Boone's Trace National Golf Club with a solid team effort, finishing 9th out of 15 teams in a competitive field. Round three was ultimately canceled due to weather, so all team scoring concluded after the second round, while individual players like Erin Ahmadfadzir finished their third round on Monday.

Elaine Grant led the Prairie Stars with rounds of 81 and 76, tying for 14th individually and showing steady improvement. Valentina Torrealba contributed rounds of 77 and 83, and Lia Rody added 85 and 81, helping UIS stay competitive throughout the tournament. Yi-Ting Hsieh (87, 89) and Ira Joshi (98, 85) rounded out the lineup, while Ahmadfadzir competed as an individual with two rounds of 89. 

Host Findlay took the team title with a final score of 609. GVSU and UMSL followed with totals of 611 and 619, respectively. UIS finished with a team total of 655 strokes for 36 holes.

"We played a slightly different format this weekend with all five UIS golfers competing together — something we're used to in practice but not often in tournament play," said assistant.coach Julie Hofmanova. "The team handled the adjustment well and stayed focused throughout the event."

"Due to the forecast, the tournament was shortened to 36 holes, meaning we battled strong wind gusts while also racing the sunset to finish both rounds in one day. Senior Elaine Grant showed her experience and composure, finishing in a tie for 14th place. Valentina Torrealba also put together a strong opening round with a 77 in very windy conditions. We're continuing to see steady improvement since our first event in Florida and look forward to building on that as we prepare for the Flyers Spring Invite in two weeks."

Up Next
The Prairie Stars compete at the Flyers Spring Invitational in Bolingbrook, Ill., March 30-31.