Peru, IN - The McKendree University Women's Golf team went right down to the wire over the weekend, as they battled at the GLVC Championship at Rock Hollow Golf Club. The Bearcats found themselves in the picture the entire three rounds, with the top four teams advancing on to match play on Sunday. Entering the 54th and final hole of stroke play, McKendree and Lewis were tied for that final match play spot. The Flyers would birdie, the Bearcats would par, and Lewis moved on, ending McKendree's GLVC hopes in 5th place. Chiara Bortolotti del Reino (4th) was named All-Tournament, while Alba Camps Pascual (10th) also made the Individual Top 10.
The Bearcats found themselves in 6th place after round one, led by a +1/73 from Bortolotti del Reino. Her and Camps Pascual (+4/76) both broke 80. While plus numbers made their presence known at the start, red numbers were still aplenty, with Bortolotti del Reino (5), Camps Pascual (2), Waritsara Rungrojanaluk (2), Reagan Martin (1), and Cale Albertina (1) all getting birdies. McKendree's best hole of the round would be the 298-yard par-four 13th. Camps Pascual would birdie, and four other Bearcats would par.
McKendree slipped by a single stroke in round two, going from +28 to +29, but remained in the match play scene. Rungrojanaluk had the highest-birdie round of the group, getting four such results, including back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th to power her +4/76, which was tied with Bortolotti del Reino for the best round two from the team. Martin (par-five 15th) and Reagan Potts (par-four 1st) both birdied as well, setting up an exciting final round.
While the Bearcats would only birdie once on the front nine (Bortolotti del Reino on the par-five 6th), with that fourth and final match play slot on the line, the scorecards ramped up down the home stretch. All McKendree scoring players parred the par-five 10th, and even though holes like the par-five 15th plagued the Bearcats (three bogeys, one birdie), that fourth spot was still there for the taking. A par from Camps Pascual and a par from Bortolotti del Reino on the 17th set up the deciding final hole. Albertina birdied, with Camps Pascual and Martin getting par.
That set up a duel between Bortolotti del Reino and Lewis's Kyra Simon on the 378-yard par-four 18th. With the Flyers and Bearcats tied with all but these two left, whoever had the better result on 18 was sending their team to match play. Bortolotti del Reino would par to cap her quality All-Tournament weekend, while Simon would knock down a birdie putt to advance the Flyers to Sunday.
McKendree, after finishing 5th as a team, now awaits their NCAA Tournament fate. Pending potential qualification, the team would head to the NCAA Division II East Regional on May 4th-6th in Findlay, Ohio.
BEARCAT INDIVIDUAL SCORING
Chiara Bortolotti del Reino | 4th | +10 / 226
Alba Camps Pascual | 10th | + 16 / 232
Waritsara Rungrojanaluk | T-29th | + 27 / 243
Reagan Martin | T-41st | + 34 / 250
Cale Albertina | T-46th | + 38 / 254
Reagan Potts | 72nd | + 72 / 288
TEAM SCORING (STROKE PLAY ONLY; SUNDAY MATCH PLAY NOT INCLUDED)
1st | #19 UIndy Greyhounds | + 26 / 890
2nd | #31 UMSL Tritons | +46 / 910
3rd | Maryville Saints | + 70 / 934\
4th | Lewis Flyers | + 77 / 941
5th | McKendree Bearcats | + 78 / 942
6th | UIS Prairie Stars | + 92 / 956
7th | Drury Panthers | + 100 / 964
8th | Lincoln Blue Tigers | + 121 / 985
9th | Quincy Hawks | + 130 / 994
10th | Rockhurst Hawks | + 135 / 999
11th | William Jewell Cardinals | + 152 / 1,016
12th | Upper Iowa Peacocks | + 155 / 1,019
13th | Truman State Bulldogs | + 184 / 1,048
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE BEARCATS
**2026 NCAA Division II East Regional
at Findlay Country Club - Findlay, Ohio
Monday-Wednesday, May 4th-6th
Time(s) TBA
**Bearcats need to qualify officially, as the field hasn't been announced, but if they're in, this would be next.
