Women's golf: Warriors win Statesmen Shootout

OSKALOOSA — It was the type of day that could test the skill of any golfer.

Ultimately, the golfers that navigated the windy conditions at Edmundson Golf Course both physically and mentally ultimately came out on top.

The Indian Hills women's golf team brought home their second straight team championship of the season on Wednesday, making the drive up Highway 63 to pick up the win in the William Penn Statesmen Shootout. Competing in Oskaloosa for the first time since winning the program's first-ever tournament almost 19 months earlier, the 10th-ranked Warriors posted a team score of 329 in the one-day tournament beating out Upper Iowa by 12 strokes with four players finishing among the top 10 in the 33-player field.

"We struggled just like everyone else struggled with the conditions," Indian Hills head women's golf coach Micheal Shedd said. "We just kept our heads on, hit the ball in safe spots and made some big putts. That definitely made the difference for us."

Mackenzie Reeves and Jade Blakeley both brought home individual medals for Indian Hills after posting matching rounds of 78, finishing just one shot behind Addison Weber of Upper Iowa for meet medalist honors. Reeves briefly took the lead late in the round after nearly chipping in for an eagle on the 18th hole, rolling in the short putt for birdie moving to six-over-par for the tournament one stroke ahead of Weber with four holes remaining.

"Coach Shedd always prepares us for winning. I think that's mentality we've had since day one," Reeves said. "We expect to win every time we compete. I don't know if teams fear us when we pull in the parking lot, but hopefully they fear us a little bit more when we leave."

Blakeley posted her best career round and finish for the Warriors, rounding out an eight-over-par round of 78 with a birdie on the fifth hole to close out her day. The sophomore transfer from Southern Indiana topped her best round of 81, fired in the final round of the Graceland Spring Invitational last week that resulted in a share of third place on the individual leaderboard while leading IHCC to the team title in Maryville, Missouri.

"I stayed pretty steady. I've been working a lot heading into this tournament. I'm happy to see that work paying off," Blakeley said. "My mental game is what carried me. I've always been a pretty decent striker of the ball, but my decision-making and how I carried myself on the course is what brought my score down."

Indian Hills returns to the course for the Stampede at the Creek in Elkhorn, Nebraska. The two-day tournament begins on Monday at Indian Creek Golf Club starting at 9 a.m.