WATERLOO, Ill. – In one of the most exciting finishes in Missouri Valley Conference history, University of Evansville freshman Kate Petrova won a 2-hole playoff to become the third individual in Purple Aces program history to win the conference championship.
Tuesday’s final round saw Petrova card a 4-over 76 to finish with a 231. She finished in a 3-way tie with Kristen Giles (Drake) and Payton Carter (Murray State) atop the standings. The three took to the 18th hole at Annbriar Golf Course where each earned a par in the first playoff. They replayed the 18th hole where Petrova earned a birdie to clinch the championship.
Petrova becomes the third UE player to win the individual championship in seven seasons, joining Kayla Katterhenry (2017) and Sophia Rohleder (2021). Along with her victory, Petrova was crowned as the league Newcomer of the Year while earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Evansville wrapped up the tournament in a tie for second place with Belmont. Both squads finished with 3-round scores of 952. Missouri State took the top spot with a 943. This marks the second-best finish in program history, finishing only behind the championship squad of 2021. UE has earned three consecutive top five finishes in the conference championship.
Allison Enchelmayer earned a solid to 15 finish for UE. Her 79 in round three gave her a final total of 238. She tied for 14th. Magdalena Borisova tied Petrova for the Aces’ low score of the day, carding a 76. The strong finish gave her a 242, tying her for 21st. Mallory Russell wrapped up the championship with a 245. Round three saw her card an 81 to finish in a tie for 30th. Alyssa McMinn rounded out the scoring with a 255.
Today marked the third time in league history that medalist honors came down to a playoff. The last one came in 2019.
