COLUMBIA, MO. – The South Dakota Women's Golf program took to the road once again for an invitational, this time to Missouri for The Johnie Imes Invitational hosted by Missouri at The Club at Old Hawthorne
 
Six Coyote golfers participated in the 54-hole event with five starters and one individual with the top four starters scores counted for the team total.
 
After ending Day 1 in eighth place, the Yotes utilized a strong second day to finish in sole possession of fifth place at the end of the contest.
 
THE FIRST DAY
The first round on the course was not kind to the Coyotes, who shot a team total of 327. 
 
Senior Ella Greenberg once again led the pack of Yotes, shooting a 74 thanks to a trio of birdies in four holes in the middle of her round.
 
The second round proved to be much better for South Dakota, who improved their total by 14 shots on the final 18 holes of the first day of the event.
 
Greenberg once again finished with a 74, but it was senior Ava Schroeder (75) and sophomore Morgan Rupp (77) who saw the greatest improvement. 
 
Competing as an individual, senior Avery O'Donnell improved her score by nine strokes, shooting a 75 on her second trip around the course.
 
As a team, the Coyotes ended the day in eighth place in the nine-team event.
THE SECOND DAY
Day two was, by leaps and bounds, the best round of the season for the Coyotes. The team shot a season-best 297, 25 strokes better than the first round of play.
 
Four Coyotes finished with their best scores of the tournament with Greenberg shooting one under par on the final 18 of the week.
 
Freshman Savannah Cagle made four birdies to shoot even on the day and one under on the back nine.
 
The Yotes notched the fourth-best score of the day amongst all teams, moving up three spots to finish the event in fifth place with a final score of 927.
 
Greenberg's 219 tied her for eighth, marking her third-consecutive top 10 finish to open the 2026 fall season. 
 
CAGLE'S CLIMB CONTINUES
Savannah Cagle continues to play at a high level in her first three matches of her collegiate career. 
 
In her first two tournaments of the season, the Olathe, Kan. native held a five-round average of 75.80. 
 
Though the first two days didn't go as planned for the freshman, the final round at The Johnie Imes Invitational went exceptionally. 
 
After shooting a 167 in the first two rounds, Cagle shot an even 72 with a quartet of birdies on the final day. All four of her birdies on Tuesday were holes that she made bogey or double bogey on Monday. 
 
Still early in her career, Cagle continues to climb into a steady fixture in the USD lineup on a weekly basis.  
 
NEXT UP
The Coyotes head to the Hawkeye State for the Diane Thomason Invitational hosted by the University of Iowa at the Davenport Country Club.
 
The 14-team event begins on Monday, September 28 and concludes Tuesday, September 29. 
 
Last season, South Dakota finished tied for third in the 8-team field.