KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan golf team heads to Noblesville, Ind., and Purgatory Golf Club for the 2016 Mid-American Conference Championships beginning on Friday morning.

Heading into Friday's opening round the Broncos are the fourth-highest rank team, according to Golfstat, in the field at 146th overall.

"We are looking forward to playing Purgatory, it is such a great coarse and one that fits our eye" said head coach Stacy Snider on the par-72, 6,194-yard course. "We played well here in the fall and I don't expect any less this week. I think everyone is excited to be here and they are ready to play their best golf and end the season on a high note."

Junior golfer Anna Wilcoxson, a native of South Bend, Ind., is very familiar with Purgatory.

"It's like a second home course for me," said Wilcoxson of the course that is just over two hours away from her hometown. "I've won a couple of times here before and we played very well here in the MAC Preview back in the Fall."

Wilcoxson is having her best season as a Bronco, averaging 75.88 strokes per round, a nearly two-stroke improvement over her sophomore season in which she was voted the team's Most Improved Golfer. She credits her mental game helping with the improved consistency.

"I've really just gotten into a rhythm," she added. "My mental game has been a lot stronger. I've been able to focus more and not get ahead of myself, focusing on one hole at a time."

On the season only one time in a three-round tournament has she shot over a combined score of 227. Everything else has been in the lower 220's, including a season-best 220 at the Ball State Cardinal Classic back in September. Recently she led the team at the Kansas City Shootout, taking fourth overall with a combined total of 224.

The first round begins at 8:30 a.m. on Friday. WMU's lineup will be released after the practice rounds on Thursday.

Follow @WMUGolf for periodic updates during the three rounds and follow the live scoring by clicking here.