October 4, 2009

DECORAH, IOWA . . . Wartburg College shot a final round 330 in cold, wet conditions at Oneota Golf and Country Club Saturday to finish the 72-hole Championship at a Championship record score of 1,286 (311-314-331-330) and capture its fifth Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Women’s Golf Championship in six years. The Knights also earn the Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Championship in May. Central sophomore Sarah Paulson took home individual medalist honors for the second consecutive year with a 72-hole Championship record total of 300 (73-72-73-82) and was named IIAC Women’s Golfer of the Year.

Behind Ellen Rickert, who posted the low round of the day with a 4-over-par 76, the Knights were able to fire the day's low team score of 330 and take the title by 17 strokes. Central posted a final day 344 en route to a runner-up finish for the second consecutive year. Simpson (335-322-343-343—1,343) and host Luther (337-332-355-343—1,367) each fired final round 343s to place third and fourth, respectively.

Paulson’s four-day total of 300 set a new 72-hole individual Championship record, surpassing the 306 set by Buena Vista' Jen Stork in 2006 and tied by Paulson last season. She finished seven strokes ahead of Rickert (74-74-83-76), who led three Knights in the top-10. Luther's Emily Looft (80-81-85-78—324) took third, one shot ahead of Wartburg's Daina Deery (78-79-83-85—325) and two clear of Wartburg's Jordan Galles (80-80-83-83—326). Simpson's Katie Vaux (82-80-80-85—330) placed sixth to finish in the top 10 for the fourth time in her career. Central's Eva Downes (81-77-87-85—330) finished seventh for the second consecutive season, while Simpson teammates Megan Smith (83-77-86-87—333) and Taylor Hillery (83-80-89-82—334) took eighth and ninth, respectively. Central's Nicole Wenstrand (87-75-84-90—336) rounded out the top 10.

Teammates Vaux and Smith became four-time All-Conference honorees with their finishes. Vaux placed fourth in 2006, ninth in 2007, and third in 2008, while Smith was ninth in 2006, fourth in 2007, and tenth in 2008. Paulson, Deery, Downes, and Looft each earned All-Conference honors for the second time.

Central coach Jodee Schaben was named Iowa Conference Women's Golf Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. Schaben led the Dutch to their second consecutive runner-up finish, the school's best finish since a runner-up finish in 1993.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 2009 IIAC Women’s Golf Championship can be found here.

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