Results (PDF)

INDIANAPOLIS – Illinois Women's Golf finished in a tie for fourth place at the 2016 Big Ten Championship for its best finish at the event since the 1994-95 campaign. With a scorecard reading of 285-293-284, the Fighting Illini registered their best score at the Championship in program history with a final reading of 862 (-2). Freshman Bing Singhsumalee brought home All-Championship Team honors with a share of fourth place on the individual board following a three-round tally of 211 (-5).

"The season has been filled with highs and lows and we've had our fair share of struggles from a lot of different angles, and this team just continued to push forward and persevere and believe," Illinois head coach Renee Slone said of her team. "This was a great weekend for us; I'm just so proud of how we played, especially today, posting a very strong score to move up the leaderboard."

For the fourth-consecutive season, the Big Ten Championship team award was shared between two teams. No. 7 Northwestern and No. 36 Ohio State each combined for 12-under par showings to claim title honors. No. 35 Purdue took third place at 5-below par. Thanks to a two-spot jump on the final day, Illinois notched a fourth place finish along side Wisconsin at 2-under par. No. 50 Michigan (+1) finished in sixth place while Indiana (+2), Penn State (+6), No. 39 Michigan State (+12) and Iowa (+12) each brought home top-10 finishes from the event. Minnesota (+14), Rutgers (+22), Nebraska (+26) and Maryland (+46) rounded out the field.

In her Big Ten Championship debut, Singhsumalee did not record a round above par (72-71-68), becoming the only Illini to do so in program history. The freshman climbed nine spots on the leaderboard across the final round, thanks to her 4-under  68 on the day. Singhsumalee picked up two birdies across the first four holes of the day before notching a third on the eighth hole for a quick 3-under par reading. Her lone bogey on the ninth hole sent the Naperville, Illinois, native to the back nine at 2-under. Birdies on the 11^th and 15^th hole put Singhsumalee at 4-under par to close the day and secure the best finish and tournament score of her career.

Singhsumalee's 5-under par showing tied the third-best individual 54-hole tournament score in program history. She shares the spot with none other than her coach, formerly Renee Heiken. Additionally, Singhsumalee's 68 earns a share of the seventh-best single round score in program history, marking the third time her name shows in the top 10.

Chayanid Prapassarangkul turned in an overall reading of 217 (+1) following rounds of 74-71-72. The Illini sophomore tallied just four holes on the day that were not par; two birdies and two bogeys. Last season, Prapassarangkul become the first Illini in program history to register two rounds at par or better at the Big Ten Championship. After this season's Championship, Prapassarangkul has now completed the feat twice and is joined by Singhsumalee (72-71-68) in the elite standing.

Sophomores Grace Park and Pailin Ruttanasupagid tied for 35^th overall with showings of 221 (+5). In her second career Championship, Park notched rounds of 69-75-77. Ruttanasupagid turned in scores of 70-76-75 in her Big Ten Championship debut.

Stephanie Miller jumped 15 spots during the final round from The Fort Golf Course thanks to her 71 (-1) effort on the day. The sophomore finished with a collective score of 224 (+8) after rounds of 75-78-71 to earn a T-47^th reading. Miller got off to a hot start on the day with a pair of birdies on the opening two holes. After a fifth-hole bogey, the Illini junior registered another birdie on the eighth hole to make the turn at 2-under par on the day. Miller finished the back nine at 1-over following a pair of birdies and three bogeys to finish at 1-under overall on the day.

Rounding out the Illini unit, Dana Gattone turned in a 226 (+10) final reading. Her third-round score of 73 propelled the sophomore eight spots up the leaderboard on the last day of action. Three bogeys to just one birdie on the front nine sent Gattone to the final nine holes at 2-over par, but the Addison, Illinois, native responded with a quick birdie on the 10^th hole. A bogey on hole 12 put Gattone's reading back at 2-over but she recorded one last birdie on the 15^th hole to finish at 1-under par on the back nine. Gattone finished tied for 54^th place.

"The post season was on the line, and to come out and perform like we did shows a lot of heart, determination and pride," shared Slone. "We'll have to wait and see what tomorrow night brings."

Five Illinois golfers registered six rounds below par and two more sets of 18 holes at an even 72.

UI remained the only team to see two players record eagles at the event. Park and Ruttanasupagid tallied Illinois' second and third eagles of the season during the opening round of play from Indianapolis.

Illinois' final score of 862 (-2) at this season's Championship ranks as the second-best tournament score in Orange and Blue program history. UI's share of fourth place at the event marks four-consecutive top-five finishes for the unit.

"This is just the beginning," Slone stated. "Clearly we're hoping this wasn't the conclusion of our season with the way we've been playing. We are peaking at the right time. Even if we don't get selected tomorrow night, this is the start of something amazing for this program."

Coverage of the final round of the 2016 Big Ten Women's Golf Championships will be edited into a one-hour show and will air on the Big Ten Network on Sunday, May 1, at 10 a.m. CT. The show will be re-aired later that same day at 5:30 p.m. CT.

NCAA REGIONAL SELECTIONS

The 2016 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships selections announcement will be Monday, April 25, at 5 p.m. CT, on Golf Channel and streamed live on the Golf Channel website. Seventy-two teams and 24 individuals will be selected to compete at one of four regional championships, each featuring 18 teams and six individuals, May 5-7.

The four regional sites include Stanford Golf Course, in Stanford, California, hosted by Stanford University; Traditions Club, in Bryan, Texas, hosted by Texas A&M University; University Club, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, hosted by LSU; and Shoal Creek Club, in Shoal Creek, Alabama, hosted by the University of Alabama.

FOLLOW THE ILLINI

Stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com for all the latest information on Fighting Illini Women's Golf as the team continues play. Follow the Orange and Blue on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for even more coverage.