LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. – Led by strong performances from underclassmen, the FGCU women's golf team earned two strong wins Tuesday, Feb. 9 at the Mid-American Match Play Challenge. The Eagles defeated fifth-seeded Western Michigan by a 3-1-1 count in the morning round and earned a 2-2-1 win with a tiebreaker against host Bowling Green in the afternoon.
 
The win over Bowling Green pushed the Eagles to a fifth-place finish in the 12-team tournament and helped the team take the top position in the consolation bracket. Top-seeded Kent State earned the tournament championship over two-seed Eastern Michigan, while Northern Illinois and Akron maintained their top-four seeds with top-four finishes. The Eagles finished ahead of Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Oakland, Dayton, Central Michigan and Ohio.
 
Sophomore Madison Easterbrook (Burlington, Ontario/Aldershot High School) picked up two wins on the day, including a four-point win in the afternoon session against Bowling Green. With the rest of the lineup even, Easterbrook's win in the no. 1 position served as the tiebreaker to seal the final round victory for the Green and Blue.
 
"I am so ecstatic about the way we played today as a whole," said head coach Sarah Trew. "This morning we got off to a fast start and never let up. We were consistent and had some solid up and downs when we missed greens. It was nice to get a win against a better seed in Western Michigan and gain some confidence."
 
Easterbrook allowed her counterpart to take a one-point lead right away but rebounded with two-straight holes to take control. She added another point on the first nine holes and maintained the lead on the back nine to earn a three-point win.
 
In the No. 2 position, senior Sara Detlefsen (Eagan, Minn./Minnesota Virtual Academy) finished square with opponent Sarah White. The duo traded holes to start and neither took more than a one-point lead in the final 11 holes. Detlefsen and White ultimately matched scores in the final five holes to split the match.
 
Senior Mei Khuan Yong (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia/ S.M.K. Cochrane) produced a valiant effort against WMU's Kaitlyn Watkins but allowed her opponent to hold a slight edge through most of the round. Watkins went ahead by winning two of the final four holes to give the Broncos their only match victory.
 
Megan Blonien (Altus, Okla./Altus High School/Oklahoma State) won three of her first five holes to take the edge and maintained the lead over Claire Hernandez through the final hole. Blonien extended her lead with two holes late in the round and finished with a four-point advantage.
 
Freshman Madeline Marck-Sherk (Ridgeway, Ontario/Ridgeway Crystal Beach High School) also took the lead early in her match and never relinquished the advantage. Marck-Sherk gave away one hole late but maintained the lead over WMU's Julia Champion through the end of the round and finished with a four-point victory.
 
With the 3-1-1 win over the Broncos, the Eagles advantage to face host and seventh-seeded Bowling Green in the consolation bracket final.
 
"The winds picked up significantly in the afternoon, gusting to 45 mpg at points," noted Trew. "We were up in a few matches and gave some unnecessary shots away to put ourselves in a hole. At one point, we had three matches down, one square and one up, but we battled back against a really strong opponent with some of the most exciting and gutsy golf I have seen in a long time. This team never gives up and I am so proud of them."
 
Marck-Sherk faced off with Fran Rodriquez in the No. 5 spot. The freshman took the first hole but gave up the second and traded holes with her opponent during the opening stretch. At the turn, Rodriquez took a one-point lead but Marck-Sherk responded again to even the match. The pair remained square on six of the final eight holes and went into the final hole even. Marck-Sherk completed the late-game victory by carding a four on the final hole compared to Rodriquez's five, giving FGCU the advantage over the host.
 
Despite strong efforts against tough conditions, Detlefsen and Yong dropped their matches but Blonien helped keep FGCU in the race with an even match. Blonien and BG's Erin Fahey battled for points through the first nine holes before Fahey took a three-point lead by winning three of four holes after the turn. Down three with four holes to play, Blonien took holes 6, 7 and 8 to even the match. The pair each fired a four on the final hole to finish the matchup square.
 
In the No. 1 position, Easterbrook took a quick lead over BG's Hannah Lewis but Lewis retaliated to even the contest right away. The pair played through the first nine holes even before Easterbrook took control. The sophomore earned holes 2 and 3 and increased her lead by winning holes 6 and 7. Lewis was unable to cut the deficit as Easterbrook took the match by four points.
 
With the teams even at 2-2-1, the tiebreaker went to the No. 1 matchup where Easterbrook's win pushed FGCU ahead.
 
After strong competition at the Match Play Challenge, the Eagles return home to Southwest Florida for a quick turnaround. The Green and Blue will host the 2016 FGCU Eagle Invitational at Stoneybrook Golf Club this weekend. The event features one round a day over a three-day stretch from Feb. 12 to Feb. 14 and will feature a 15-team field.
 
More information on the FGCU Eagle Invitational will be available at FGCUAthletics.com Wednesday afternoon.
 
 
SEMIFINALS: 3-1-1 WIN AGAINST NO. 5 WESTERN MICHIGAN
1.Madison Easterbrook defeats Chloe Lawrie by 3
2.Sara Detlefsen splits match with Sarah White
3.Mei Khuan Yong defeated by Kaitlyn Watkins by 2
4.Megan Blonien defeats Claire Hernandez by 4
5.Madeline Marck-Sherk defeats Julia Champion by 4
 
FINALS: 2-2-1 WIN AGAINST NO. 7 BOWLING GREEN
1.Madison Easterbrook defeats Hannah Lewis by 4 *
2.Sara Detlefsen defeated by Mikayla Baer by 2
3.Mei Khuan Yong defeated by Lily Bartell by 4
4.Megan Blonien splits match with Erin Fahey
5.Madeline Marck-Sherk defeats Fran Rodriquez
*served as tiebreaker
 
TEAM RESULTS
1.Kent State
2.Eastern Michigan
3.Northern Illinois
4.Akron
5.FGCU
6.Bowling Green
7.Western Michigan
8.Oakland
N/A. Ohio, Dayton, Central Michigan, IPFW
 
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU women's golf program, follow on Twitter at @FGCU_WGolf and on Facebook at /FGCUWGolf.       
 
Head coach Sarah Trew enters her fifth season at the helm of the FGCU women's golf team. Trew took over in 2011 and has since guided the Eagles to the program's best-ever finish in the Atlantic Sun Tournament and to 20+ top-10 finishes. A year ago, Trew led the team to several records on and off the course. The 2013-14 squad set a new single-season scoring record with a team average of 307.88, while also setting a new benchmark academically. The team earned a team grade point average of 3.8 in the fall semester and set the FGCU team record with a 3.92 during the spring of 2014. The spring of 2015 saw the Eagles again take third place at the A-Sun Championship, and recording their best team score of the season.