The Southern Illinois University Salukis women’s golf team achieved a program milestone on April 13 with a record-breaking performance at a tournament in Kentucky, finishing third against teams including Murray State and Austin Peay.
This result is significant as it marks the team’s best finish of the season and featured the lowest team round in program history. The achievement comes just before the Missouri Valley Conference Championship, which begins Sunday, April 19.
Calli Smith led the Salukis with a seventh-place individual finish. Kayla Sayyalinh and Allie Santos tied for twelfth place, while Elle Overstreet finished twenty-seventh and Amelia Zingler placed twenty-eighth. Smith recorded two rounds of 69—one of the third-lowest scores in school history—and held first place on the leaderboard during part of the event. Every member contributed strong performances throughout the weekend.
Head coach Sam Sambursky said, “Proud of the grit and the way this group has trusted the process all year. Success didn’t come overnight for this team. They bought in, and this is what growth looks like. Our course management has been great, and we are playing with the confidence it takes to break an 18-year-old school record. We are recommitting to the process this weekend before we tee it up for conference.” Sambursky’s comments reflect both satisfaction with recent progress and focus on continued improvement ahead of upcoming championship play.
Southern Illinois University Salukis Women’s Golf operates as a collegiate women’s golf team based in Carbondale, Illinois according to its official website. The team competes within tournaments across multiple states—including invitational events—and participates annually in Missouri Valley Conference Championship competition according to its official website.
Looking ahead, all eyes will be on how Southern Illinois builds upon its momentum at next week’s conference championship.
