Freshmen again top Bulldogs on day one at NAIA Preview
LINCOLN, Neb. – For the third-straight round of Bulldog women’s golf, freshman Amy Ahlers carded the team’s lowest score. On a particularly windy day one of the NAIA National Championships Preview meet on Monday, Ahlers shot an 86 (14-over-par), coming in just under her season average of 86.5 entering play. As a team, the Bulldogs sit in a tie for 13th place among 18 teams in the field with a score of 388.
“Just like we talked about last week on the men’s side, this is one of the tougher courses we play at all year,” Concordia head coach Brett Muller said. “And we definitely let the (windy) conditions affect us more than they should have. We need Kayla (Krueger) and Melissa (McIntosh) to be right around 90 and hopefully have the other two in the 90s or right around 100.”
However, Concordia’s runner-up to Ahlers trailed behind by 12 strokes on the difficult course at Wilderness Ridge Golf Club in Lincoln, Neb. Fellow freshman Kayla Krueger turned in a 98 after averaging an even 90.0 through her first four collegiate rounds. Krueger carded three-consecutive pars on holes 12 through 14, but she hit a rough patch with double bogeys each on 16 and 17 and completed the round tied for 63rd on the individual leaderboard.
Ahlers performed most consistently with seven pars on the day. She also had nine bogeys and two double bogeys as part of a solid overall day. She is tied for 21st place, nine strokes off the leader – Nicole McDonald of Grand View (Iowa).
“She actually hit the ball a lot better than her score indicated,” Muller said of Ahlers. “She struggled around the greens and that was something that really frustrated her. Her short game is normally a strength. I am pretty sure she’ll come back and be one that improves the next day.”
McIntosh (T-66th – 100), sophomore Kristen Remm (T-75th – 104) and junior Allison Schieffer (89th – 120) filled out the rest of Muller’s lineup on Monday. Muller noted that McIntosh was the only one of the Bulldog quintet who had previously played at Wilderness Ridge.
“We’ve got a lot of optimism going back tomorrow,” Muller said. “Talking to the team on the way back, they all feel like they can improve and move up. If they can each improve about 10 spots we’ll have a chance to pass some teams and finish in the top nine.”
Action at the NAIA National Preview meet at Wilderness Ridge continues on Tuesday with round two beginning at 9 a.m.
