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Michigan State women's golf sees lead evaporate, finishes second at Big Ten Championship

Nathaniel Bott, Lansing State Journal
·1 min read
Michigan State junior golfer Katie Lu takes a shot during the final round of the Big Ten Championship at Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Lu led the Spartans with a 4-under par score for the tournament, where MSU finished in second place.
Michigan State junior golfer Katie Lu takes a shot during the final round of the Big Ten Championship at Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Lu led the Spartans with a 4-under par score for the tournament, where MSU finished in second place.

The Michigan State women's golf team carried an 11-stroke lead over Indiana into Sunday's final round of the Big Ten Championship at the Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre de Grace, Maryland.

MSU was looking to capture its first Big Ten title since 2021, but the Spartans struggled to a 295 as a team on Sunday, while the Hoosiers shot 283 to topple MSU by one stroke for the championship.

MSU finished with an 857 total — 7-under par as a team — and finished alone in second place. Northwestern finished third with an 863 total, while Michigan and Purdue tied for fourth at 864.

Junior golfer Katie Lu was MSU's best individual performer, shooting 70-68-74 to finish 4-under for the tournament and finished in sixth place overall. Sophomore Paula Balanzategui tied for seventh after shooting 67-72-75 to finish 3-under.

Michigan State sophomore golfer Paula Balanzategui takes a shot during her final round at the Big Ten Championships at the Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre De Grace, Maryland. Balanzategui was one of MSU's best golfers in the tournament where it finished in second place.
Michigan State sophomore golfer Paula Balanzategui takes a shot during her final round at the Big Ten Championships at the Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre De Grace, Maryland. Balanzategui was one of MSU's best golfers in the tournament where it finished in second place.

Senior Leila Raines finished even-par for the tournament and posted the Spartans' best Sunday score with a 73. Senior Valentina Rossi shot 71-72-74 to finish 1-over par.

Minnesota's Isabella McCauley shot a 64 in her final round to move to 7-under par for the tournament, making it a three-way tie with Michigan's Monet Chun and Indiana's Caroline Craig at the top of the leaderboard.

MSU will now turn its attention to the NCAA Regionals, which it will host at Forest Akers Golf Course beginning May 6. MSU won the Palm Beach Regional last season and finished 18th at the NCAA Championship.

Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State women's golf finishes second at Big Ten Championship