Custer shoots second round 80 as Dawgs improve on day two of Battle at Bayside

By Jacob Knabel on Sep. 10, 2024 in Women's Golf

BRULE, Neb. – The second day of action at Bayside Golf Club in Brule, Neb., resulted in significant improvement for the Concordia University Women’s Golf team, which slashed 28 strokes off its round one total. Junior Emery Custer equaled a career low total with her nine-over-par 80 on Tuesday (Sept. 10) as the Battle at Bayside came to a conclusion. The Bulldogs were the only NAIA member in a field that included seven NCAA Division II teams.

Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad carded a two-round score of 383-355–738 (eighth place). Concordia hopes to learn from the experience on a challenging course located in the mountain time zone.

“Bayside with its setup, the yardage and the carries from the tee to the fairway is pretty tough,” Muller said. “This was probably the toughest course will play on the women’s side all year. Yesterday the team score was a lot higher than we were anticipating. Today was much more in line with where we thought we would be as a team. Emery played really well today.”

In round two, the Broken Bow, Neb., native Custer turned in birdies on 1, 4, 14 and 15 and climbed eight spots on the individual leaderboard, as compared to the first round. Custer, who also shot an 80 in round one of the Mount Marty Invite, finished the Battle at Bayside with a total of 92-80–172. Custer’s current season average now stands at 84.3 through four rounds.

The top performer for the Bulldogs on Monday in Brule was senior Jennifer Gillotti. She shot 88-94–182 for the tournament and placed in a tie for 37th (49 total golfers). Concordia’s group of five was rounded out by junior Maddie Lewis (101-90–191; 42nd) and freshmen Savannah McFalls (102-91–193; 43rd) and Audra Poffinbarger (104-107–211; T-47th).

Battle at Bayside Final Results
TEAM: 383-355–738 (8th/8)
T29. Emery Custer: 92-80–172
T37. Jennifer Gillotti: 88-94–182
42. Maddie Lewis: 101-90–191
43. Savannah McFalls: 102-91–193
T47. Audra Poffinbarger: 104-107–211

Next up on the schedule will be the Siouxland Invitational slated for Sept. 23-24 in Sioux Center, Iowa, and Orange City, Iowa. There are two tournaments remaining on the fall schedule before the Bulldogs wrap up action for the semester.