FINAL TEAM LEADERBOARD | FINAL PLAYER LEADERBOARD

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. - For the second year in a row, Henderson State trailed by four strokes heading into the final round of the Central Region Championships.

And for the second year in a row, Henderson State used a furious final round to win the Regional Title. With a 4-over 292 final round, No. 13 HSU completed the region championship three-peat with a 54-hole score of 30-over 894.

Coming into the round trailing four strokes, Henderson knotted it up with Southwestern Oklahoma at 29-over through the front nine. The Reddies turned it on at the turn, racing out to a five-stroke lead before hole 14. Of HSU's four contributing scorers, eight birdies were tallied from the ninth hole to the 13th.

Lily Nelson and Daphney Tilton were the main catalysts for the comeback as the duo recorded six birdies over that stretch. With the big push from Nelson and Tilton, the Reddies were able to hold off SWOSU before posting the six-stroke victory to bring the third consecutive Central Region Championship to Arkadelphia.

Nelson paced Henderson on the final day with a 3-under 69 in the final round, tying the course record set by teammate Allie Bianchi last semester at the Central Region Preview. Nelson, playing in just her fourth event of the 2023-24 season and her first regional championships, finished the final round with six birdies.

Jinna Boonbumroongsuk was the second Reddie to shoot below par on the day, closing the tournament with a 1-under 71 to finish in a tie for 11th at 1-over 226. Boonbumroongsuk put a team-high 15 pars, including a clutch par save on the Par 3 12th to hold off the second-place Bulldogs, two birdies and only one bogey on her final-round scorecard.

Allie Bianchi finished tied for fifth with a 54-hole score of 7-over 223, thanks to a third-round 2-over 74. The GAC Player of the Year finished her final collegiate regional round with a birdie on the Par 5 18th to claim the Top-5 finish.

The aforementioned Tilton, after a 4-over start through the first three holes, brought the Reddies back to contention and the eventual win with a 2-under card across the next eight holes. The Iowa, Louisiana, native finished her final regionals with an 18-over 234 for a spot at 22nd.

Felisa Sajulga complete the Reddie five-bag with a 9-over 81 on the final round, finishing the three-day event with a 15-over 231. In her first year with the Reddies, Sajulga recorded seven birdies in her three rounds to help HSU claim a third consecutive regional championship.



With the regional trophy in hand for the third straight year, No. 13/15 Henderson State will now head to Winter Gardens, Fla. for the 2024 Division II National Championships May 21-25. Last season, HSU finished in the national semifinals for the first time in program history.