ORANGE CITY, Iowa – It was only a matter of time. On the heels of three straight top five placements dating back to last season’s GPAC Championships, senior Emery Custer has added a tournament championship to her growing list of achievements. Custer claimed the individual title at the two-day Siouxland Invite (Sept. 16-17), rallying back from a three-stroke deficit at the end of round one. As a team, Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Golf placed second in a GPAC exclusive field of 11 groupings.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s program entered two squads into the Siouxland Invite. The ‘A’ team shot 334-329–663 and the ‘B’ team posted a score of 373-378–751. The Bulldogs finished two strokes behind tournament champion Northwestern, the co-host along with Dordt. The event took place at The Ridge Golf Club in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Tuesday before moving to Landsmeer Golf Club in Orange City, Iowa, on Wednesday.
“This one was tough because we took the lead early on in the final round,” Muller said. “With four holes left, we were tied and had a chance to win. Pressure is earned and we earned that pressure being at the top of the leaderboard. Every single person could probably find shots that they gave away, but we’re happy that we continue to put ourselves in those positions (to compete for tournament championships).”
Named GPAC Golfer of the Week prior to the start of Wednesday’s round, Custer became the program’s first tournament champion since Kendra Placke took gold at the Hastings Spring Invite in April 2022. The Broken Bow, Neb., native Custer had been zeroing in on a first-place claim after finishing third at the Mount Marty Invite and second at the Frommelt Fall Classic. At the Siouxland Invite, Custer shot 77-78–155 (+11) and edged Morningside’s Kendra Casey (74-82–156) for the title. Custer carded 11 pars in round two. She’s cracked the 70s in four separate rounds this fall.
Said Muller, “I’m very proud of Emery’s performance the last two days. She didn’t get off to a great start today in the final round but battled back and got the job done. It was great to see her get over the hump. She had finished before the second-place girl did, so she was waiting around for that final score to come in.”
In the field of 59 golfers, the Bulldogs placed three individuals in the top 15 as Custer was followed in the lineup by senior Maddie Lewis (80-83–163; 6th) and freshman Olivia James (88-82–170; T-15th). Lewis earned her second consecutive top 10 tournament finish. To round out the ‘A’ team, sophomore Savannah McFalls (89-86–175; T-23rd) and freshman Amelia Ptacnik (89-86–175; T-23rd) also placed inside the top 25 overall. All five Concordia competitors in the ‘A’ lineup shot 86 or lower on Wednesday. The 82 for James marked the lowest single round of her young collegiate career.
In leading the ‘B’ team, junior Emma McCoy carded a career low in Tuesday’s round and wound up tied for 30th (87-93–180) at the Siouxland Invite. Additionally, Audra Poffinbarger and Abigail Kollbaum made significant improvements from day one to day two. Complete Concordia scores are included below.
The Bulldogs have placed second at each of their three tournaments this fall. Northwestern (661) and Concordia (663) were followed in the top five of the Siouxland Invite team standings by Doane (673), Hastings (696) and Dordt (696).
Bulldogs at Siouxland Invite
A Team: 334-329–663 (+87)
1. Emery Custer: 77-78–155
6. Maddie Lewis: 80-83–163
T15. Olivia James: 88-82–170
T23. Savannah McFalls: 89-86–175
T23. Amelia Ptacnik: 89-86–175
B Team: 373-378–751 (+175)
T30. Emma McCoy: 87-93–180
T38. Kaylee Carlson: 93-94–187
43. Makenzie Hughes: 93-97–190
T46. Audra Poffinbarger: 100-95–195
49. Abigail Kollbaum: 103-96–199
Two events remain on the Bulldogs’ fall semester schedule. Next up will be the York Invitational at York Country Club on Sept. 29-30. The final event of the fall will be the Nebraska Intercollegiate (Oct. 6-7).