Northern Illinois University Athletics

2018-19: Earned second team All-MAC honors for third consecutive season…Named MAC Golfer of the Week September 13…Led NIU with 2,323 strokes while competing in the Huskie starting five in all 31 rounds as well as the MAC Match Play tournament, the only player on the Huskie team to do so…Set NIU single season school record with stroke average of 74.94…Won the Redbird Invitational with rounds of 71-71-70 for a four-under par 212 total…Led NIU to the team title…Finished her career with another 70 to tie her season-low…Tied for ninth in the MAC Championship, one of three Top 10 and six Top 20 finishes…Recorded six rounds of 70 or 71 on the season…Posted 17 rounds of 75 or lower…Only Huskie to win two matches at the MAC Match Play as she went 2-1-0; First NIU women’s golfer to be named to All-MAC team in three consecutive seasons (2017, 2018, 2019), earning second team honors each year…Owns NIU record for lowest career stroke average of 75.74 in 117 career rounds…Qualified for the Dean’s List…Chosen as NIU Scholar-Athlete of the Week April 15.

2017-18: Earned second team All-MAC honors for the second consecutive season … Led NIU with a season stroke average of 75.8 which ranks third in school history … Competed in all 10 tournaments as a junior … Posted six top 15 finishes, including each of last four tournaments, and placed 26^th or higher at nine of 10 tournaments on the year … NIU’s top finisher in three events … Scored 79 or lower in 28 of 30 rounds on the year … Tied for first with rounds of 77-73-73 (224) in the Bradley Spring Invitational in her home state of Texas before falling in a playoff … Helped the Huskies win the Redbird Invitational with a 15^th-place finish and a score of 232 (76-81-75) … Top finisher for NIU at the Mary Fossum Invitational, shooting 226 (74-73-79)  to tie for 13th … Came back with another 226 (75-74-77) to tie for 25th at the UC Irvine Invitational … Went 1-1-1 at the MAC Match Play event… Posted a 238 (77-77-84) to tie for 26th at the Battle at Boulder Creek … Wrote a 229 (79-76-74) on her scorecard at the Rio Verde Invitational to tie for 23rd … Shot a season-low round of 71 in the first round en route to a 12th place finish at the Little Rock/A-State Invitational …  Matched her season best score with a second round 71 and tied for second at the Lady Boilermaker Classic with a season-low 54-hole score of 218 (74-741-73) … Placed 14^th at the MAC Championships with a score of 230 (77-74-79), helping NIU to a third-place finish … Earned Academic All-MAC honors for the second time... Named an All-American Scholar by the WGCA.

2016-17: Competed in all nine tournaments for the Huskies…Finished the season leading the team with the lowest stroke average (75.1)…Helped the Huskies to a second place finish at the Redbird Invitational by tying the 54-hole school record with 218 strokes and finishing in fourth-place…Notched a top-10 finish at the Cardinal Classic with a score of 220 (75-70-75)…Completed the Mary Fossom Invitational with a 253 (77-78-83)…Shot a 221 (75-74-72) at the Johnie Imes Invitational to secure a 25th place finish…Led the team at the Bradley Invitational, firing a 208 (68-71-69) and was crowned tournament champion…Her individual performance at the invitational shattered the all-time record for the Huskies for three rounds of play and her first round 68 ranks first in the record book for 18-holes…Notched her fourth top-10 finish at the Kansas City Shootout in a tie for third place after carding at 228 (77-77-74)…Capped off the season in the tie for 12^th place at the MAC Championships with a 230 (77-78-75) and was named Second Team all MAC…Named to the Academic All-MAC Team.

2015-16: The true freshman set the NIU school record for a 54-hole tournament at the Cardinal Classic shooting a 218…Was under par in the second round of the tournament with a score of 70 and finished the Cardinal Classic tied for fourth…Finished the Redbird Invitational and Diane Thomason Invitational with scores of 231 and 233, helping the Huskies secure second and ninth place in those tournaments, respectively…Recorded 230 for both the Rio Verde Invitational and MAC Championships…Her average of 77.2 strokes per round is the second lowest on the team…Also tied for 21st at The Preview with a three-round total of 231 and carded eight birdies in the tournament…Finished both the Lady Thunderbird Invite (154) and the Kansas City Shootout (235) tied for 25th…Placed in the top 25 in five tournaments.   

High School: Won the 2014 University Interscholastic League District and Regional tournaments and the 2014 Ranger Roundup at Frisco Lakes Golf Course with a score of 77...Finished fourth in the Texas High School State Finals and was runner-up at the 2013 TJGT Thanksgiving Junior Classic at TPC San Antonio AT&T Canyons Course with at two-round score of 151...Shot a two-round 147 to come in fifth place at the 2014 Texas Junior Golf Tour Lone Star Girls Invitational at the Sky Creek Ranch Golf Club and placed fourth at the American Junior Golf Tour Genesis Shootout at Live Oak Course with a three-round score of 222...Excelled off the course and in the community as she was given the 2012-13 President of the U.S. Volunteer Service Award (Individual).

Personal: Daughter of Chris and Gilda Ward
Birthday: November 11, 1996  Major: Philosophy and Psychology
 

Ward's Career Statistics

Season	Tournaments	Rounds	Strokes	Average	Low 18	Low 54	Best Finish
2015-16	10	29	2,238	77.1	70	218	T4 (Cardinal Classic)
2016-17	9	27	2,026	75.0	68	208*	1 (Bradley Spring Invit.)
2017-18	10	30	2,275	75.8	71	218	T1 (Bradley Spring Invit)
2018-19	11	31	2,323	74.9*	70	212	1 (Redbird Invit.)
Totals	40	117	8,862	75.7	68	208*	1 (Bradley Spring Invit.)