Hello Illini Nation!

Sophomore Lexanne Halama here with you to dive into one of the most memorable weeks in Illinois women's golf history! Before we get into the incredible team and individual victories in the Big Ten Championship at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, Pa., I am going to go behind the scenes and take a look at what transpired in the week leading up to the event.

Just less than a week before the Big Ten Championships, we competed in the Lady Buckeye Invitational at the The Ohio State University Golf Club in Columbus. Crystal had a solid tied-for-sixth finish in the field but we were not able to capitalize on the opportunities to take advantage of the good weather and course conditions as a team overall.

With only a couple days back on campus before heading to Fox Chapel Golf Club, we all did some serious reflection on the areas of our game that needed improvement. During this time, most importantly, we spent our time and travels with a positive mindset that we would have a better tournament in Pittsburgh. Winning the Big Ten has been our team goal all season and I could feel the hunger for it in this team more than ever.

The first round at Fox Chapel featured sunny, 80-degree weather, and we put ourselves in excellent position at the top of the leaderboard, leading by six strokes over Ohio State. We experienced some rain delays in the second round, as well as slightly dropping temperatures, but we did our best to work with the changing conditions. We found ourselves neck and neck with the Buckeyes and Northwestern at the end of the day. The whole field was very tight.

Crystal ended the first round frustrated with her putting. Many of us struggled with the fast and subtly breaking greens, so we dedicated extra time after both rounds to work on speed control and committing to good putts. I was inspired to see how much energy the team brought each day, especially Crystal. All this work and energy paid off during the final round as she had a record-breaking performance. Her putter was hot and ready to take the lead on the cold and windy day.

The last six holes at Fox Chapel are a challenging finishing stretch, plus pins were tucked. For me personally, I knew that I needed to give my all throughout the entire day, especially during those last few holes because one shot could be the difference. I decided to take it one moment at a time, something coach Slone has instilled in us all season, until my last putt on No. 18.

To watch Crystal come in knowing that we were going to win was an absolutely incredible feeling. As the flag went in, we stormed the green screaming, laughing and crying because we had just done something that had never been done before in program history. We were Big Ten Champions.

I am beyond excited for our team but I am just as elated for Crystal to have won the individual Big Ten Champion title. She is an incredible player and I am so proud to call her not just my teammate but my friend as well.

After the awards ceremony and many photos, we headed back to campus on a chartered plane to find our teammates, Director of Golf Operations Eric Gilpin, Superintendent Mike Rayman and so much more wonderful support staff and so many supporters to welcome us home. We were all overcome with emotion at the amount of people who came to congratulate us and cannot express how grateful we are for all of you. We would not be here or have these opportunities without you.

As if coming off Big Ten Champions wasn't enough, on Wednesday night (April 26) we celebrated The Oskees, the student-athlete awards ceremony, where Crystal is a finalist for Female Athlete of the Year. I was a recipient of the Sophomore Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award and the team was the recipient of the Outstanding Team GPA Award.

So, after all of this, where do we go from here? Regionals will be held at TPC San Antonio in Texas starting on May 8th. We are continuing to push forward, using this momentum to polish our games and look ahead to what awaits us.

Thanks for reading! I-L-L!

Lexanne Halama