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By Gus Bode

The SIU women’s golf team began its season opener at the Redbird Classic with a strong second place finish.

In their first tournament, the Salukis benefited from strong performances by several returning players, as well as the emergence of one newcomer.

Sophomore Cassie Rushing posted a career-best round of 71 on the first day and a second of 73. Her combined score of 144 on Saturday earned her a first-place tie.

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Seniors Alisha Matthews and Margaret Gilley also posted low scores through two rounds. Matthews tied for 11th place with a score of 153, and Gilley 20th with a score of 156.

Head coach Alexis Mihelich said she was pleased with the way her team finished on Saturday.

“After the first round, I thought we played well, but we were tied for fifth,” Mihelich said.  “After round two, I thought we played better and we jumped from fifth to second.”

Freshmen Ryann Gilley, in her SIU debut, shot well with a combined score on Saturday of 163, which placed her in a tie for 45th.   Mihelich was particularly impressed with the way the freshman played, she said.

“I am really happy with the way (Ryann Gilley) played, especially for her first collegiate tournament,” Mihelich said.

The Salukis began play early Sunday with a team score of 614, while first place Ball State led the way with a score of 608.

After the final round, the Salukis ended the day just where they had begun and finished in second place with a combined score of 926 after three rounds.

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Though SIU jumped ahead of the classic leader Ball State, the Illinois State Redbirds jumped all the way to first to seal the tournament.

Mihelich said she was pleased with the finish and thought it was a good way to start the season.

“We know we can play better,” Mihelich said.  “I haven’t looked over all the details, but I think we can improve on our putting for next week.”

Rushing started Sunday tied for first, but finished the final round with a score of 80. The  overall score of 224 garnished her a tie for fourth place.

“(The first day) I felt like I couldn’t miss a shot,” Rushing said.  “I think we all played pretty well. Hopefully next week we can lower our scores even more.”

Matthews finished with an overall score of 230 to finish in 13th place, while Margaret Gilley finished with an overall score of 236 to finish tied for 21st.  Ryann Gilley finished with a 241, which put her in a tie for 58th place.

“My play this weekend was kind of up and down,” Matthews said.  “It was kind of a roller-coaster ride, but we kept it together as team.”

Junior Shaina Rennegarbe improved from her previous rounds of 87 and 81 to finish strong with a final round of 77, to give her an overall score of 245.  Rennegarbe’s overall score tied her for 50th as she rounded out the team’s top five.

Sophomore Ashleigh Rushing competed individually, which means her scores were not attributed to the Salukis’ overall score, and finished with an overall score of 242, for a tie for 41st.

The Salukis will continue play Saturday when they travel to Muncie, Ind., to compete in the Cardinal Classic tournament, hosted by Ball State University.

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