MVC Tournament Central

The Missouri State women's golf team has been picked to finish second at the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference Championship. In a pre-tournament poll of the league's coaches, Wichita State was the choice to win its third straight title, while the Bears were tabbed for second and Bradley third. The tournament will be held Sunday-Tuesday (Apr. 17-19) at Harborside International's Port Course in Chicago, Ill.

WSU garnered 97 total points and seven first-place votes in the poll, while the Bears tallied 85 points and one first-place nod. Bradley had 81 points, but two-first place votes, with Southern Illinois picked for fourth with 73 points.

Loyola was the choice for fifth (53 points), followed by Illinois State (47), Indiana State (40), UNI (33), Drake (23) and Evansville (18).

The Bears, who finished second a year ago, are led by sophomores Stine Pettersen and Verena Gimmy, who both were all-conference performers as freshmen and who each won a tournament this season. Pettersen, last year's Valley Newcomer of the Year, is ranked second in the league with a 74.87 scoring average and Gimmy is rated fifth and sports a 75.80 average.

Senior Megan Furnish, who has carded more under-par rounds than any Bear this season, is 12th in the conference and has a 77.17 scoring mark, while junior Caroline Boone has a 77.68 average and is ranked 13th. Freshman Ashley Childers will round out the lineup with a 79.40 average.

MSU has captured a pair of tournament titles this season, winning the MSU/Payne Stewart Memorial and Little Rock Classic in the fall, and posted top-five finishes in four other events.

Play gets underway in Chicago at 10 a.m. Sunday with 18 holes contested each day in the 54-hole tournament. Loyola is the tournament host, with the winner advancing to NCAA Regional play.