No. 7 Marian Dominates NCAA DI Field at Butler Fall Invite

INDIANAPOLIS - Playing right in their own backyard, the Marian women's golf team had a dominant performance at the Butler Fall Invite, finishing as the runner-up for the tournament behind Youngstown State. Marian defeated 13 NCAA DI programs in their win, while also scoring a commanding victory over No. 19 Taylor. Emma Weiler led Knights with one of two individual top-10 performances on the tournament.

Marian performed well on the opening day of the two-day invite, finishing all-36 holes on Monday tied for fourth place. The Knights shot a 291 in round one and a 301 in round two, carding a 592 on the par-70 course. On Tuesday's final round, Marian made a charge firing the lowest round of the tournament for any team, finishing strong with a 283 team score. The Knights' efforts pushed them into a tie with host Butler University, as both schools ended the tournament with a total score of 875. Only Youngstown State finished better than the two Indianapolis schools, as the Penguins shot an 863. 

Marian defeated 12 D1 schools in the tournament, earning wins over Marshall, Dayton, Belmont, Bellarmine, Illinois-Chicago, Loyola (Ill.), Morehead State, Indiana State, Southern Indiana, IU-Indy, Valparaiso, Eastern Illinois, and Northern Kentucky. Marian also took down NAIA No. 19 Taylor, as the Trojans carded a 935 team score.

Individually, the Knights were led by Emma Weiler, who finished tied for eighth overall with a total score of 217. Weiler fired a 73 and 74 on Monday, before closing the week with an even-par 70. Keara Eder also finished the tournament with a 70 in round three, firing a 73 and 75 on Monday as she tied for 10th with a score of 218. Freshman Maria Kennard finished 17th overall in the field, carding a 220 total after scoring rounds of 75, 77, and 73. 

Hailey Kirkland finished fourth in the lineup with a 222 total, joining Weiler and Eder with even-par 70's on Tuesday. Kirkland tied for 23rd, and shot a 75 and 77 on Monday in rounds one and two. Completing the lineup for Marian was Mackendzie Dresbaugh, who scored a 73+82+73=228, putting her in 52nd place. Freshman Jordan Adam played as an individual, and finished the tournament tied for 23rd with Kirkland. Adam scored a 74 and 75 on Monday, ending the tournament with a 73 to complete her 222 score. 

The Knights will finish their fall slate on October 14 and 15, playing in Lindsey Wilson's annual Gibson Bay Shootout.

MUKnights.com: Your online source for Marian Athletics, tickets, multimedia, Knight merchandise, photos and more.