Ahlers places 20th at NAIA National Preview meet
LINCOLN, Neb. – Concordia freshman golfer Amy Ahlers improved by one stroke and one placement as the second and final day of the NAIA National Preview meet held at Wilderness Ridge Golf Club in Lincoln, Neb., came to a conclusion. Ahlers’ 20th-place individual finish highlighted the meet for a Bulldog squad that placed 13th out 18 teams at the 36-hole tournament.
Concordia finished with a two-day total of 388-381–769, meaning the team improved its Monday round by seven strokes on the challenging Wilderness Ridge course. The Bulldogs’ turned in the 12th lowest round among the participants on Tuesday.
Ahlers carded an 86-85–171 for the tournament. The Albion, Neb., native posted two birdies, six pars, five bogeys and five double bogeys on Tuesday. She came through with four-consecutive pars on holes 9 through 12. She birdied Nos. 1 and 16. Her team-leading average sits at 86.17 through six rounds of action this fall.
“I thought Amy played very well,” Concordia head coach Brett Muller said. “She hit the ball very well again today. She easily could have been in the 70s, but she still had a good score. To finish 20th place is a great finish in this tournament. This was as stiff of competition as we’ll play against all year.”
Freshman Kayla Krueger of Aberdeen, S.D., came in next with a 98-94–192 to place in a tie for 56th. She recorded four pars, seven bogeys and seven double bogeys on the day.
Concordia’s 3 through 5 spots were held down by junior Melissa McIntosh (64th – 100-95–195), sophomore Kristen Remm (83rd – 104-107–211) and Allison Schieffer (88th – 120-107–227). Schieffer improved the most of any Bulldog between the two days, knocking 13 strokes off of her Monday total.
Through six rounds, Concordia women’s golf has put up scores of 381, 366, 380, 359, 388 and 381 for an average of 375.83.
Bulldog women’s golf will finish up the fall season with GPAC Qualifier No. 2 in Sioux City, Iowa, on Wednesday, Oct. 2. As a team, Concordia sits in seventh place in the conference after shooting a 366 at the first qualifier meet. McIntosh is the Bulldogs’ highest ranking individual. She is tied for 18th with her first-round 87.
“At the beginning of the year we talked about averaging a team score of 360 at the four qualifiers,” Muller said. “That would put us at fifth or sixth. Right now we’re at seventh and we can definitely pass some teams in the GPAC.”
Whispering Creek Golf Club in Sioux City will serve as the venue for next week’s qualifier event. It’s the same course where the Bulldogs played at on Sept. 6 for the Morningside Invite. Krueger tied for fifth at the meet with an 87.
GPAC Qualifiers Nos. 3 and 4 will take place in the spring.
