LINCOLN, Neb. – Hoping to make a move in the final round of the Concordia Bulldog Spring Invitational, the Concordia University Women’s Golf team shot a 350 on Tuesday (April 4) and settled for seventh place out of 11 teams. The program welcomed a total of 65 golfers to the fifth spring tournament it has hosted since 2018. The Bulldogs shot a three-round score of 346-344-350–1,040 over the two-day event held at the home course, Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln, Neb.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad was led individually by a top-20 placement from freshman Emery Custer. Concordia emerged from the tournament knowing it is capable of slashing strokes off its team score as the spring season continues.
“I definitely think at times we showed glimpses of our potential,” Muller said. “We really struggled with our consistency. Our short game kind of got exposed, which is a little bit disappointing on our home course. That’s something we’ll focus on before the CSM Invite – our short game and putting. If you ask the girls, they know that’s an area we can save a lot of strokes on.”
This year’s tournament marked the first time it had ever included three rounds of action. When the dust settled, Iowa Western Community College (928) claimed the team title and the University of Nebraska-Kearney’s Brooke King (224) claimed the individual championship. They were the winners in a field that included competitors from nine GPAC institutions, one NCAA Division II school and one junior college. The Bulldogs managed to beat out conference rivals in College of Saint Mary (1,041), Mount Marty (1,070), Hastings (1,121) and Doane (1,165).
A rookie from Broken Bow, Neb., Custer shot a collegiate career low round on Monday and was in the running for a top 10 finish entering Tuesday’s action. She wound up tied for 19th place with her score of 81-83-87–251. She was the lone Bulldog to card three rounds in the 80s. Not far behind her were teammates Lauren Havlat (89-80-85–254; T-25th) and Mya Nurse (80-85-90–255; 28th). The team’s top five was rounded out by Logan Eschliman (96-97-88–281; T-46th) and Sarah Wilson (106-96-98–300; 53rd). Meanwhile, Ericka Kroecker (106-99-101–306; T-58th) and Ashley Gerczynski (93 in round 3) competed as individuals.
This was the final home event for the senior class, which includes Eschliman, Gerczysnki and Havlat. A Norris High School alum, Havlat owns a career scoring average of 90.1 in 57 rounds while Eschliman has averaged a score of 94.7 in 55 rounds. Havlat has two top 10 tournament finishes this season to her credit.
Concordia Invite Final Results
TEAM: 346-344-350–1,040 (7th place)
T19. Emery Custer: 81-83-87–251
T25. Lauren Havlat: 89-80-85–254
28. Mya Nurse: 80-85-90–255
T46. Logan Eschliman: 96-97-88–281
53. Sarah Wilson: 106-96-98–300
T58. Ericka Kroeker: 106-99-101–306
Ashley Gerczynski: shot 94 in round 3
The Bulldogs will now look forward to next week’s College of Saint Mary Invite (April 12-13) to be held at Tiburon Golf Club in Omaha. The Concordia Women’s Golf program last played at Tiburon in the fall of 2021 at the Matthew Goette Invite hosted by CSM (placed third out of eight teams).