LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. – In taking advantage of pleasant conditions in Litchfield Park, Ariz., the Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Golf team carded a season-low two-round score as part of spring break action. The Bulldogs finished the Southwest Minnesota State University Spring Invite (March 10-11) with a total of 334-348–682 while pacing the Wigwam Resort Red Course in the Phoenix area. Concordia placed 11th in a field loaded with NCAA Division II competition.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad was led over the past two days by the likes of juniors Emery Custer and Maddie Lewis and freshman Savannah McFalls.
“Monday was a great day for us,” Muller said. “We had two girls shoot their career bests – Emery and Savannah – and we had our lowest team score of the season. That was great to see. I know Emery was a little disappointed with how she played today, but it was also her 36-hole career low. I definitely think we’re trending in the right direction. We spent a lot of hours in the hitting center (in preparation).”
Bulldogs at the SMSU Spring Invite – Final Results
TEAM: 334-348–682 (+106) | Par 72
T26. Emery Custer: 76-82–158
58. Maddie Lewis: 86-84–170
T59. Savannah McFalls: 84-89–173
T68. Jennifer Gillotti: 88-94–182
77. Sarah Wilson: 105-93–198
79. Audra Poffinbarger: 105-101–206
Both Custer (Broken Bow, Neb.) and McFalls (Omaha, Neb.) turned in career low rounds on Monday and Lewis (Treynor, Iowa) equaled a season low on Tuesday as the team’s top performers in Arizona. After sitting in 17th place (out of 79 golfers) after round one, Custer settled into a tie for 26th on the final leaderboard with her two-round score of 76-82–158. Meanwhile, Lewis (86-84–170) and McFalls (84-89–173) finished within three strokes of each other.
Senior Jennifer Gillotti (Cheyenne, Wyo.) landed in the fourth spot in the lineup while fellow senior Sarah Wilson (Papillion, Neb.) showed the greatest improvement from round one to round two. Freshman Audra Poffinbarger (Pearland, Texas) competed as an individual.
The team round of 334 on Monday eclipsed Concordia’s previous season low of 341 at the Mount Marty Invite. The two-round total of 682 was also an improvement upon the 698 posted at the Mount Marty Invite. The Bulldogs entered the spring break trip with a season scoring average of 354.5. The program made its way to the Phoenix area for the second time in three years.
The next event on the schedule is the Briar Cliff Match Play Tournament slated for March 27-28. Green Valley Golf Course in Sioux City, Iowa, will serve as the venue for two days of action. Including the GPAC Championships, there are five total varsity tournaments scheduled for the spring semester.