HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – For the first time in Great American Conference Women’s Golf Championship history, the team title came down to a sudden death playoff. Henderson State won the 2021 GAC Championship on the second playoff hole to halt Arkansas Tech’s streak of consecutive titles at five.
FINAL RESULTS | ALL-GAC TEAM | PHOTO GALLERY
The Reddies and Golden Suns traded the lead back and forth throughout Tuesday’s final round at Hot Springs Country Club. Following regulation play, the two went to the par-3 15th hole to begin the playoff. All five golfers would play the hole and would count the low four scores. All five Reddies - Allie Bianchi, Gracen Blount, Hannah Choi, Karen Lee, Daphney Tilton – made pars. Tech’s May Buranasiri, Jacqueline Klemm, Josie Roberson and Allie Weiner matched the Reddies with pars to extend the playoff to the 18th hole.
On the finishing hole, Lee and Tech’s Katie Whitfield carded birdies, but three Golden Sun bogeys gave the Reddies a chance to win. They capitalized as after a tap-in par from Blount, Bianchi knocked home the clinching par putt to give the Reddies their second GAC title. The previous victory came in 2014.
Whitfield won the individual competition after posting a 3-over par score for the 54-hole event. She became the fifth Golden Sun to capture the medalist honors as she joined Weiner, in 2019; Peerada Piddon, in 2018; Pia Nunbhakdi, in 2016 and Rebecka Surtevall, who won in both 2012 and 2014. Roberson took second. Southwestern Oklahoma State’s Megan Brown finished in third and the Reddie duo of Bianchi and Lee shared fourth. For finishing inside the top five, these golfers earned All-Tournament honors.
Harding held off Southwestern Oklahoma State for third place - the Lady Bisons’ best finish since 2013. Oklahoma Baptist took fifth followed by Arkansas-Monticello, Southern Nazarene, Southern Arkansas and Northwestern Oklahoma State.
The league also announced its All-GAC awards and year-end awards. Klemm unanimously won Player of the Year; Brown claimed Freshman of the Year by unanimous consent and Arkansas Tech’s Luke Calcaterra garnered Coach of the Year.
Whitfield, Blount and SWOSU’s Rebecca Lau joined Klemm and Brown on the First Team. Bianchi, Choi, Lee, Roberson and SWOSU’s Mikaela Rindermann made the Second Team. Tilton, Weiner, Southern Nazarene’s Bailey Blake, Oklahoma Baptist’s Hayden Meiser, SWOSU’s Georgia Miller and Harding’s Brenda Sanchez comprised the Honorable Mention Team.
Bianchi, Arkansas-Monticello’s Ouname Mhotsha and Harding’s Abbey Bryan received the GAC’s Elite Scholar Athlete honor as all three own 4.00 GPAs. Oklahoma Baptist’s Michelle Carr, Josie Patterson and Shelby Phillips; Harding’s Kiera Smith, Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Ashley Watts and Weiner earned the Distinguished Scholar Athlete honor.
The Reddies earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals. Arkansas Tech entered the GAC Championships as the top-ranked school in the Central Region. SWOSU, Harding and Oklahoma Baptist all ranked inside the top 10. The region’s top nine teams and four individuals will advance to St. Joseph Country Club in St. Joseph, Missouri for the Central Region Championships. The NCAA will announce the field on Monday.