LINCOLN, Neb. – It won’t be easy for the Concordia University women’s golf team to top its season best team score of 343 carded at the CSM/Midland Invite a week ago. As a result of that meet, sophomore Murphy Sears collected NAIA National Golfer of the Week accolades. Returning to action for the first time since then, Sears and company placed eighth among 10 teams at Thursday’s (April 12) Kaitlyn Erickson/Doane Invite at Wilderness Ridge in Lincoln.
With the men’s team in action in Eagle, Neb., graduate assistant Logan Wagner accompanied the women’s team in Lincoln. Her bunch finished with a 374 on the day.
“I think all five of our girls got off the course today feeling like they left shots out there, particularly on the greens,” Wagner said. “It was tough conditions with the wind, on a tough course, but we felt we could have managed the course better even so. With that being said, it was a great course to play on in preparation for GPAC. We are going to continue to improve in these next two weeks.”
Sears posted an 86 and placed in a tie for 15th out of 70 golfers at the Erickson Invite. She paced a Bulldog group that included Payton DeMers-Sahling (93; T-31st), Haley Nolde (93; T-31st), Paighton Barbre (102; T-58th) and Gabrielle Coviello (102; T-58th). The 374 team score was the third best out of 10 rounds in 2017-18 for Concordia.
Before looking ahead to the GPAC championships, the Bulldogs will host their own tournament next week at Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln. The Concordia Bulldogs Invite will run next Thursday and Friday (April 19-20).