Youngstown State University
Horizon League Championships
Horizon League Champs!!! Shutt Earns Medalist Honors to Lead Penguins to Fourth League Crown
4/27/2021 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
West Lafayette, Ind. - Youngstown State senior golfer Katlyn Shutt earned medalist honors with a school and league-record three-round score of 208 to lead the Penguins to their fourth Horizon League Championship on Tuesday at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex.
The Penguins fired a final-round 295 on Tuesday to pull away for a 15-stroke victory over runner-up IUPUI. YSU's three-round total of 893 is the lowest 54-hole score in Horizon League Championships history, shattering the previous mark of 920 that was set by Detroit Mercy in 2013. The performance also ranks as the second-lowest 54-hole score in program history. The Penguins and Jaguars were tied for the lead heading into the final round of play. YSU wins the league championship for the fourth time in school history and for the first time since 2015.
Shutt earned medalist honors at the league meet for the second time in her career, becoming just the third player in Horizon League history to win the event multiple times. She becomes the first golfer to win multiple individual league crowns since Detroit Mercy's Lindsey Lammers did so in 2012 and 2014. The Dover, Ohio, native also won the league championship as a freshman in 2017 with a school and league-record three-round score of 217. With her victory, Shutt claimed YSU's league-leading seventh individual league championship.
With her first-place finish, Shutt was named to the Horizon League All-Tournament Team for the third time in her career. In addition to her victory in 2017, she tied for the second at the league meet as a junior in 2019. Shutt set a program and Horizon League record with her three-round total of 208. She broke her own league championships record of 217 and her own school record of 213.
Shutt carded a four-under-par 68 in Tuesday's final round to pull away for a dominating 11-stroke victory. After setting the league-single round scoring record with a five-under-par 67 in the first round on Sunday, Shutt now owns the two lowest rounds in Horizon League Championships history. Her bogey-free 68 in the final round featured 14 pars and four birdies. She made par on each of her first eight holes before a birdie on No. 9 to shoot a one-under-par 35 on the front nine. On the back nine, Shutt carded birdies at No. 10, No. 14 and No. 16 to fire a three-under-par 33.
Puthita Khuanrudee finished in third place with a three-round score of 221 (75-74-72) to earn a spot on the Horizon League All-Tournament Team. The junior's even-par 72 in Tuesday's final round featured 10 pars and four birdies. She made par or better on 11 consecutive holes from No. 5 to No. 15. Khuanrudee tallied birdies on No. 1, No. 8, No. 9 and No. 18. She fired a one-under-par 35 on the front nine before shooting one over par on the back nine.
Christina Lewis finished tied for 21st with a three-round total of 234 (76-83-75). The sophomore's final-round 75, which matched her low round of the season, included nine pars and three birdies. After shooting a three-over-par 39 on the front nine, she settled in to fire an even-par 36 on the back nine. Lewis notched birdies on No. 5, No. 11 and No. 16.
Danae Rugola finished tied for 24th with a three-round score of 236 (78-78-80). The sophomore's final-round 80 featured eight pars and a pair of birdies. After shooting five over par on the front nine, she made par or better on six of her last nine holes to post a three-over-par 39 on the back nine. Rugola recorded birdies on No. 6 and No. 11.
Jenna Vivo finished the event tied for 29th with a three-round total of 239 (82-77-80). The junior's final-round 80 featured nine pars and a birdie on the par-four No. 10. The Boardman, Ohio, native made par or better on eight of her first 11 holes. Vivo posted a four-over-par 40 on the front and back nine.
With their victory at the Horizon League Championships, the Penguins tied a school record with their fifth tournament victory of the season. YSU also won five events in 1997-98 and in 1999-2000. The Penguins will now move on to the NCAA Regionals for the second time in program history. YSU advanced to Regionals for the first time in school history after its 2015 league title.
Regional play for the 2021 Division I Women's Golf Championships will be held May 10-12, with play taking place at the Louisiana University Club in Baton Rouge, La., hosted by LSU; The Ohio State University Golf Club – Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio, hosted by Ohio State; University of Louisville Golf Club in Simpsonville, Ky., hosted by Louisville; and Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, Calif., hosted by Stanford.
Each of the four regional sites will include 18 teams and six individuals competing, with the top six teams (24 teams total) and the low three individuals (12 individuals total) not on an advancing team from each regional site advancing the national championships at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Teams and individuals participating in the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships will be announced as part of GOLF Channel's College Central coverage taking place on Wednesday, April 28, at 2 p.m. ET.
