PALM COAST, Fla. - For the first time in program history, the University of Northwestern Women's Golf team is competing for a National Christian College Athletic Association National Championship. Despite three appearances in the NCAA National Championship, UNW has never been able to qualify for the NCCAA Championship through what was previously its only available route: winning the NCCAA North Central Regional. This season, Northwestern amended its NCCAA at-large bid policy, which allowed the scorching-hot Eagles to accept an at-large bid and participate in the tournament. You can follow all the action from Hammock Beach Resort's Conservatory Course all week here.

Day One

The only member of the team familiar with the NCCAA National Championship and Hammock Beach Resort entering the week was Morgan Eckman (Jordan, Minn./Jordan), and it showed. The junior, who competed as an individual in the event in her first two collegiate seasons and earned All-America honors both times, lit up the Conservatory Course on Monday morning. Eckman played a flawless front nine, shooting a one-under 35, and finished the day with a score of 75 (+3), putting her in second place and two shots behind the leader. Bri Brandt (Blaine, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) also finds herself in the top 10, tied for seventh after turning in an 82 (+10). UMAC medalist Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) is tied for 18th through 18 holes after carding an 85 with two front-nine birdies, while Sondra Albrecht (Ham Lake, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) used a birdie on the par-five ninth hole to shoot 91 (+19). Brielle Lenz (Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield) is just behind Albrecht at 92 (+20). As a team, UNW is in fourth place with a score of 333 (+45), 16 strokes behind the leader and eight behind second-place.

The Eagles will begin second round play at 9:25 AM local time (8:25 AM CT) on Tuesday.

Day Two

Tuesday's second round brought about improvement from every Eagle on the course, as the team improved its score by 20 strokes from day one with a total of 313 (+25) and climbed up to second in the standings at +70, trailing only its North Central Region nemesis, Bethel (Indiana). The Pilots were the only team to shoot a better score than Northwestern, and currently hold a 15-shot lead with 18 holes to play. Speaking of first-place leads, Morgan Eckman's (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) 74 (+2) on Tuesday was enough to put her alone in first place entering Wednesday's final round at +5, holding a three-shot lead over the rest of the field. The two-time NCCAA All-American made three birdies to improve on her 75 from round one. The most dramatic score improvement of the day belonged to Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool), who catapulted into a tie for seventh place at +16 after carding a 75 (+3) in round two, featuring a birdie on each side. Bri Brandt (Blaine, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) remains in the top 10 (tied for ninth) after lowering her score to 79 (+7) on Tuesday, for a total of +17. Sondra Albrecht (Ham Lake, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) and Brielle Lenz (Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield) also saw significant improvement from their first round tallies, posting scores of 85 and 87, respectively.

UNW will have one more day to try and claim its first national championship, and for Eckman to try and win the program's first individual national title. Wednesday's final round tee times will begin at 9:10 AM local time (8:10 AM CT).

Day Three

Although the third and final round of competition wasn't ultimately what the Eagles were hoping for, it certainly provided some drama. Morgan Eckman (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) held a three-stroke lead in the medalist competition entering Wednesday and Northwestern was narrowly in second place as a team. Eckman held onto the lead through 10 holes with a score of +2 for the day, but found herself two shots off the lead at +7 with two holes to play. Her opposition, who was playing in the same group, bogeyed the par-three 17th hole and Eckman parred, putting the junior from Jordan just one back entering the final hole of the tournament. Eckman ultimately parred the hole, leaving the Wayland Baptist player with a five-foot par putt to win, which she made to avoid a playoff. Eckman's 79 (+7) gave her a final tally of 228 (+12) for the tournament, by far the best of her three appearances, a runner-up finish (also her best), and a third NCCAA All-America honor. She is the only player in program history to be named an All-American of any sort, and has done it all three years of her collegiate career.

While Eckman finished the highest on the leaderboard for the tournament, UNW's best round of the day actually belonged to her running mate, Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool). Johnson made a trio of birdies on the front nine to post a final-round 78 (+6), which put her in ninth place individually (+22), just one shot back of earning All-America status herself. Bri Brandt (Blaine, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) turned in an 88 (+16) to round out her week with a score of +33 and a 21st-place finish, while Brielle Lenz's (Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield) week concluded with an 89 (+17) to make her tournament tally +52. Sondra Albrecht (Ham Lake, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) carded a 93 (+21) on Wednesday to give the junior a final score of +53.

Northwestern's fall season comes to an end with a fifth-place finish and a team score of +116 in the NCCAA National Championship, but its season at-large is far from over. The Eagles will ramp things back up in the spring in preparation for the NCAA Division III Women's Golf National Championship, which will be held May 19-22 at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, California. UNW earned an automatic bid to the event by winning the UMAC Championship earlier this month. The remainder of the spring schedule will be announced at a later date.