FINAL RESULTS || HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Tied with Arkansas Tech after the morning round, Henderson State's third-round score beat the field by six shots and allowed the Lady Reddies to claim the 2014 Great American Conference Women's Golf Championship on Tuesday from Hot Spring Country Club.
Henderson State earned its first conference title since starting the program in 2006. Kendall Earp, last year's individual medalist, came up one shot shy of repeating, but did finish in second place. Her third-round score of 1-over-par 73 represented the lowest round carded during Tuesday's 36-hole final. Erin Brown, a first-round co-leader finished in a tie fourth place and thus earned All-Tournament honors. Ally Harris tied for seventh place; Katie Flinn shared 11th and Katie Kilponen tied for 18th.
The Lady Reddies entered the GAC Championships ranked sixth in the NCAA Division II Central Region. Arkansas Tech, the region's top team, finished in second place, followed by Southwestern Oklahoma State, the region's fifth-rated school, in third. The Golden Suns' Rebecka Surtevall won her second GAC Championships individual medalist honor. She won the inaugural event in 2012. Her three-round total of 10-over-par 226 also bettered the tournament scoring record by a shot, set by Earp last year. ATU’s Megan Jeffery shared seventh place and Taylor Kline, one Monday’s three co-leaders, ended the week in a tie for 11th position.
Harding’s Brittany Marquez earned All-Tournament honors for the third straight year as she tied Earp for second place. Her combined Tuesday score of 6-over-par 150 represented the low score of the day. SWOSU’s pair of Ana Laura Gomez and Margaret Musser shared fourth place and rounded out the All-Tournament team.
East Central improved by 31 shots between Tuesday’s two rounds to finish in fourth place. Molli Taylor led the Lady Tigers with a 10th-place finish. Southern Arkansas followed in fifth place followed by Arkansas-Monticello, Harding and Ouachita Baptist.
The NCAA will announce the Division II Women's Golf Championships participants at 2 p.m. CT on Monday, April 28. The Central Super Regional will begin on Sunday, May 4 from Tartan Park Golf Course in Lake Elmo, Minn.