SLIAC adds women's golf as Championship Sport
St. Louis, Mo. - Fontbonne University Director of Athletics Maria Buckel and Director of Golf Operations, Lance Thornhill, have announced that Fontbonne women's golf will no longer be an affiliate member of the Midwest Conference, and instead will return to the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC).
The SLIAC announced today that women's golf will now be a championship sport, beginning this fall. The 2017-18 championship season will be the 15th sponsored sport for the conference. The inaugural SLIAC Women's Golf Championship will be held Oct. 23-24 at Aberdeen Golf Course in Eureka, Mo. The event is a two-day match with 18 holes each day.
"We are excited to be rejoining the SLIAC for women's golf," commented Buckel. "Affording each of our student-athletes the opportunity to compete for a conference championship has always been a goal of ours. Unfortunately, the last couple of years we had to leave the SLIAC to obtain that opportunity and we are very appreciative of the Midwest Conference for having us those years. However, as a charter member of the SLIAC it is great to be back within our primary conference competing for the title."
The last two years Fontbonne women's golf were affiliate members of the Midwest Conference where Gina Falvey finished third at the 2015 Midwest Championship. In the SLIAC, the Griffins will be competing against Eureka, Iowa Wesleyan, MacMurray, Spalding and Westminster.
"I am excited the SLIAC is bringing women's golf to our conference," commented Thornhill. "It has been a tremendous hope for many years of Fontbonne University to see this day arrive. While competing as an independent and in the Midwest Conference has been an awesome experience, it will be a welcomed challenge to play closer to home in our own conference."