After being one stroke behind the top position, the rain and wind bogged the Salukis’ chance for victory as they tied for third at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships.

Senior Shaina Rennegarbe and Junior Cassie Rushing tied for fifth overall in the tournament, which marks the first time that two Salukis have ever shared a top-10 finish since Kate Laegeler and Kelly Gerlach in 2008, finishing fifth and sixth respectively. Rennegarbe said she wanted to finish her career at SIU on a strong note.

“I knew it could potentially be my final round, and I knew I wanted to take something positive from it,” Rennegarbe said. “I knew that in order to shoot a good round and help my team, I was going to have to be the strongest player mentally out there, and I think I did that.”

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Both Rennegarbe and Rushing were named to the All-Conference Team for their efforts. This was Rushing’s third All-Conference award in three years, which makes her the fourth Saluki to ever receive the award. This was Rennegarbe’s first nomination, and her fifth place finish was her highest at the MVC tournament since she finished 13th overall during her freshman year.

Rushing was within one stroke of first place after the tournament’s second round, but a career-high 89 during the third round pushing her back to fifth place. Despite the setback, this is her third year placing in the conference tournament’s top-five. Coach Alexis Mihelich said almost every player in the tournament had a poor third day due to the weather.

“On the final day it was pouring rain the entire day,” Mihelich said, “it was around 45 degree weather and the conditions were not ideal. It was just a test of who could handle the conditions for four and a half to five hours. Overall, I am disappointed with a third place finish, but at the end of the day we were competitive and near the lead for the entire tournament.”

Freshman Mattie Lindner helped keep the Salukis near the top after day one with her score of 78 on the first round. The score was the lowest for any Saluki on day one and her six birdies tied for second-most overall in the tournament. Despite the strong start, she would finish tied for 18th overall because of a score of 85 on day three. She said despite getting wet from the rain and feeling the pressures of the moment, she wanted to compete for her teammates.

“The conditions were really rough and as a freshman it was my first conference so I was nervous, “Lindner said, “but overall I was proud of how I played. It was a lot of hard work and practicing to even be on the conference team so I was really happy to just get there and play for Shaina and the other upperclassmen.”

Rennegarbe said she is proud her teammate’s played during the tough conditions and she is looking forward to the potential the team has going into the future.

“I don’t think they realize the potential they have as a team,” she said. “Ashleigh and Cassie are some of the best putters on the team and can really go low for us. They will be two great seniors leading the squad and the freshman Mattie and Amy (Lee) had so much experience playing this year. They just need to take this year and think about what they learned and should go out there to win every tournament.”

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