YORKTOWN – Sydney Abbott secured a spot in the NCCAA National Championships on Saturday for Grace’s women’s golf team.

The Lady Lancers finished second in the regional tournament behind Indiana Wesleyan, scoring 652 compared to 642 for IWU.

While IWU earned the automatic bid as a team to NCCAA Nationals, Grace still has a chance as an at-large invitee and will find out in October.

Abbott becomes the third Lady Lancer to reach the national tournament in only the program’s third year of existence. She follows Lauren Keiser (2015) and Anna Marshall (2016) as national tournament participants.

“I really could not be prouder of our effort. Kristin Holt had a breakout round today as a freshman, and Sydney was rock-solid for the two rounds,” said Grace head coach Denny Duncan. “We are still the youngest team in the Crossroads League, but we are getting better each week.”

Grace began the tournament Friday by scoring a 329 at The Players Club. Their score put the Lady Lancers within striking distance of the lead, nine strokes back of Indiana Wesleyan.

Keiser and Abbott paced Grace with a pair of 79s in the first round, and Marshall was one stroke behind at 80. Libby Tully (91) and Kristin Holt (92) rounded out the lineup.

After Friday’s round, Duncan was pleased with the team’s 329. But he added, “To win, we will have to put four quality rounds together. IWU is a veteran team with excellent talent. We have great respect for them, but we absolutely believe we can catch them.”

Saturday saw Grace improve by six strokes as a team, ending the round with a 323. But IWU was one stroke better at 322, holding on for the regional championship.

Holt showcased the biggest individual improvement in the tournament, bettering Friday’s score by 11 strokes to finish with an 81. Tully also showed improvement when she produced an 83 in the second round.

Abbott and Marshall both carded a second-round 80, finishing third and fourth on the individual leaderboard.

The Lady Lancers continue competition next weekend at the Heidelberg Invitational.