October 4, 2008

DES MOINES, IOWA . . . Wartburg College shot a final round 329 at A.H. Blank Golf Course Saturday to finish the 72-hole Championship at 1290 (315-319-327-329) and capture its fourth Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Women’s Golf Championship in five years. The Knights also earn the Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Championship in May. Central freshman Sarah Paulson took home individual medalist honors with a 72-hole total of 306 (76-71-81-78) and was named IIAC Women’s Golfer of the Year.

Behind Paulson’s 78, the low round of the day, the Knights were able to fire the day’s low team score of 329 and take the title by 53 strokes. Wartburg’s margin of victory is the second largest in tournament history, exceeded only by the Knights’ 69 stroke victory over Buena Vista in 2005. Central College and Luther College tied for second place at 1343, while host Simpson College took fourth with a 1375 total.

Paulson’s four-day total of 306 ties the low 72-hole individual total in Conference Championship history. Buena Vista’s Jen Stork also fired a 306 in 2006. She finished eight strokes ahead of 2007 medalist Steph Burns of Wartburg, who posted a total of 75-81-77-81—314. Simpson’s Katie Vaux (82-76-80-79—317) took third, seven shots ahead of Wartburg’s Kate Thompson (81-81-83-79—324). Vaux and Thompson are three-time All-Conference performers. Vaux took fourth in 2006 and ninth in 2007, while Thompson was seventh in 2005 and sixth a year ago.

Luther’s Amy Ekland (81-76-88-82—327) edged Wartburg’s Daina Deery (75-88-82-83—328) for fifth place by a stroke, and Central’s Eva Downes (79-79-86-87—331) was seventh.

A scorecard tie-breaker gave Luther’s Lindsay Thies (84-84-83-81—332) eighth place over Loras’ Jackie Kieffer (82-85-86-79—332) and Simpson’s Megan Smith (81-86-82-90—339) took tenth place and the final All-Conference position by beating Wartburg’s Ellen Rickert (90-78-85-86—339) on the second playoff hole. Thies and Smith also became three-time All-Conference honorees with their finishes. Thies placed ninth in 2005 and seventh in 2007, while Smith took ninth in 226 and fourth in 2007.

Vaux, Thompson, Thies, and Smith bring the total number of three-time All-Conference honorees to 24, while Burns is the 77th two-time All-Conference performer in IIAC history.

Ties for second through ninth place are determined by nine-hole scores starting from the final nine today. Ties for Medalist and tenth-place are determined by a sudden death playoff.

Wartburg coach Monica Severson and Central coach Jodee Schaben were named co-recipients of the Iowa Conference Women’s Golf Coach of the Year award. It is the first honor for both in women’s golf. Severson, who also won IIAC Coach of the Year honors twice (1992, 2001) as Wartburg’s women’s basketball coach, led the Knights to the their fourth title in five years, while Schaben led the Dutch to their best finish since finishing second in 1993.

Final results from the 2008 IIAC Women’s Golf Championship can be found here.

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