Toledo to Tee Off 2016-17 Campaign at Ball State’s Cardinal Classic

Monday, September 19

Yorktown, IN

All Day

University of Toledo

Cardinal Classic

Sophomore Pimchanok Kawil placed second at the 2016 Mid-American Conference Championships.

Photo by: Toledo Athletics

Toledo to Tee Off 2016-17 Campaign at Ball State’s Cardinal Classic

9/16/2016 9:04:00 AM | Women's Golf

TOLEDO, OH — The University of Toledo women's golf program will begin its 2016-17 campaign next week at Ball State's Cardinal Classic in Yorktown, IN. The Rockets' appearance at the tournament will be their first since 2004 when they finished fourth. Toledo will compete against 15 other teams in the 54-hole tournament at the par-72, 6,204-yard Players Club with 36 holes on Monday, Sept. 19 and 18 more on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

     Last year, Eastern Kentucky won the BSU tournament by 13 strokes with Eastern Michigan's Kelsey Murphy capturing medalist honors. EMU and Western Michigan have won four Cardinal Classic championships, and host Ball State has three titles.

     Toledo is coming off its best season in school history. The Rockets set school records with five tournament titles and a 298.3 stroke average and nearly dethroned 18-time champion Kent State at the Mid-American Conference Championships. UT finished just four strokes behind the Golden Flashes to register its third second-place showing in the last four years and sixth Top Three showing in the conference tournament over the last seven years.

     "I'm really excited about our upcoming season," two-time MAC Coach of the Year Head Coach Nicole Hollingsworth said. "Our team has been really working hard, and we're going to finish up our nine rounds of qualifying on Saturday. We have a challenging year ahead of us, and with four new players on our roster I'm very excited to see what our potential will be."

     Toledo will need to replace the departed senior trio of Manisa Isavas, Sathika Ruenreong and Morgan Salm. Ruenreong set school season records last year for stroke average (73.83), most rounds (36), most rounds under 80 (36) and tying the record for most tourney titles (2). A first-team all-conference honoree for a fourth-straight year, Ruenreong also became the first Rocket ever to appear in the NCAA Regionals. Isavas was a three-time second-team All-MAC recipient and ranked second on the team with a 74.8 average. Salm ranked third on last year's squad with a 76.2 mark.

     Sophomores Natcha Daengpiem and Pimchanok Kawil are the Rockets' top returnees after posting identical 76.2 averages in their rookie campaigns. Kawil led UT with a runner-up showing at the MAC Championships with a career-low three-under par 213 (73-69-71), while Daengpiem posted a 75.3 average in UT's spring season. New additions to the Rockets' roster this season include sophomore Pinyada Kuvanun, as well as freshmen Thunpijja Sukkasem, Donchanok Toburint and Saranlak Tumfong.

2016 Cardinal Classic Quick Facts
Date: Sept. 19-20, 2016
Where: Players Club in Yorktown, IN (Par-72, 6,204 yards)
Teams: Austin Peay, Ball State, Bowling Green, Bradley, Central Michigan, Dayton, Drake, Eastern Kentucky, Fort Wayne, IUPUI, Northern Illinois, Northern Kentucky, Ohio, Toledo, Western Illinois and Western Michigan.