Ahlers and company remain in third following GPAC Qualifier No. 3

LINCOLN, Neb. – Hoping to climb another rung in the conference standings, the Concordia University women’s golf team carded a team total of 353 at Monday afternoon’s GPAC Qualifier No. 3 held at Wilderness Ridge Golf Course in Lincoln, Neb. After 54 GPAC holes of 72 complete, the Bulldogs sit tied with Mount Marty for third place in the conference. Head coach Brett Muller’s squad has carded a three-round GPAC score of 343-367-353–1,063.

Individually, Concordia sophomore Amy Ahlers, knotted up for the conference lead entering the spring, turned in an 83 on Monday. That score tied her for fifth on the day and moved her back one spot to second on the overall leaderboard with her three-round 78-84-83–245. She has five top-five tournament finishes in 2014-15.

Overall, it was a solid third GPAC round.

“Ashlen (Pospisil) had one of her better rounds of the season with a 93. It was good to see the No. 4 spot come through,” Muller said. “Our top three just had two or three bad holes that hurt them. I know they’re disappointed. We missed out on having a couple right around 80 to make our team score a little lower.”

Ahlers trails the GPAC leader in Dakota Wesleyan’s Lauren Fitts, two-time defending conference champion, by only one stroke. Bulldog teammate Emma Jacoby, a single stroke off the lead entering Monday’s round, carded the second-highest score of her season with an 89. She sports a three-round total of 82-81-89–252 (seventh place overall) after tying for 21st in her latest outing.

Sophomore Kayla Krueger bested Jacoby by one stroke at GPAC Qualifier No. 3 and finished inside the top 20 on the day. Krueger (83-91-88–262) could potentially give Concordia three top-10 finishers when the dust settles. She is currently in 11th overall.

Ahlers did not record a single birdie on Monday, but her 10 pars were second most among the field of 55 players. Jacoby and Krueger found the cup for one birdie apiece.

After finishing last in the conference two seasons ago, the Bulldog women have a chance to place as high as second behind runaway GPAC power Dakota Wesleyan. Second-place Nebraska Wesleyan has a three-stroke advantage on both Concordia and Mount Marty. Meanwhile, Ahlers will enter the fourth and final qualifier with a shot at first place and an automatic berth in the national championships.

“Both Amy and Emma had goals to win the conference, especially after where they were after GPAC No. 2,” Muller said. “Emma’s a little disappointed because it will be tough for her to win now. Amy is right there. She should have a chance to get to nationals but it won’t be easy beat Lauren Fitts with her experience.”

Pospisil’s 93 on Monday came in well below her previous qualifier rounds of 100 and 111. Fellow freshman Brenna Gnuse also improved significantly compared to her GPAC No. 2 of 114. She shot a 101 on Monday. Pospisil and Gnuse stand in 37th and 39th, respectively, on the overall leaderboard.

The Bulldogs have two meets remaining on the 2015 spring schedule – the College of Saint Mary Shootout (April 17) and GPAC Qualifier No. 4 (April 24). The final qualifier is set to be held at Landsmeer Golf Course in Orange City, Iowa.