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STORM LAKE, Iowa – Seward’s own Kendra Placke is on a roll. The reigning GPAC Golfer of the Week ventured into new surroundings in Northwest Iowa and emerged with a first-place finish in a field of 57 golfers at the Buena Vista University Fall Invite on Saturday (Sept. 26). Placke’s performance helped lead the Concordia University Women’s Golf team to a second-place claim among the nine squads present at Lake Creek Country Club in Storm Lake.
It’s been a busy stretch for Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad. Four days earlier, Placke placed second individually as the Bulldogs won the Matthew Goette Classic hosted by College of Saint Mary.
“Kendra is playing some really solid golf right now,” Muller said. “The biggest difference in her game is her touch around the greens. She’s getting up and down a lot more and her score is reflecting that.”
Placke shot a five-over-par 77 to take the title in Storm Lake. Concordia shot a team total of 343, putting it 13 strokes off of team champion Wartburg College (Iowa), an NCAA Division III institution. The Bulldogs managed to cut 14 strokes off their score from four days ago. Meanwhile, Placke keeps doing her thing. Over the past three tournaments, she’s placed first, second and first, respectively.
Seven Bulldogs navigated Lake Creek. Following Placke, Andrea Peterson (87; T-11th), Lauren Havlat (88; T-14th), Logan Eschliman (91; 26th) and Emily Jensen (94; T-32nd) came in next in line. Peterson just missed a second top-10 finish in a row. Placke, Peterson and Havlat each placed inside the top 10 at the Goette Classic. The final two Bulldogs in the mix were Mya Nurse (102; T-47th) and Ashley Gerczynski (114: 55th).
“We started on hole 10 and got off to a really got start on our first nine holes,” Muller said. “We put ourselves in position to make a run at the team win. Unfortunately, we didn’t play as well on the back nine. I think mentally we wore down a bit. We are off until next Monday (Oct. 5), and we are all looking forward to that.”
Dordt (eighth place) was the only other GPAC squad at the event. Concordia defeated several NCAA D-III foes such as Central College, Buena Vista, Nebraska Wesleyan and Simpson College.
As Muller mentioned, the Bulldogs have a break in their schedule. The fall season will conclude Oct. 5-6 at the GPAC Championships, set to take place at Dakota Dunes Country Club in Dakota Dunes, S.D. Concordia placed third in the GPAC last season.