Head Coach: Brett Muller (14th season)
2023-24 GPAC Finish: 9th (352-350-349–1,051)
Key Returners: Emery Custer; Maddie Lewis; Jennifer Gillotti; Sarah Wilson.
Key Losses: Logan Eschliman; Mya Nurse.
2023-24 GPAC All-Conference: Emery Custer (Second Team).
Outlook
Junior Emery Custer leads a trio of returning Bulldogs who experienced the 2024 GPAC Championships in Spencer, Iowa. Coming off a ninth-place conference finish in 2023-24, Custer and company are already seeing signs of progress. Member of the Concordia University Women’s Golf team reported to campus on Aug. 15 while preparing to take a leap forward in 2024-25. There are four freshmen who have been welcomed in to help replace departed veterans Logan Eschliman and Mya Nurse.
Head Coach Brett Muller is readying for year 14 leading the Concordia Golf programs. Following a series of qualifying outings this preseason, Muller provided his take on the newest edition of Bulldog Women’s Golf.
“For the last four years, Mya and Logan played the majority of rounds in our top five,” Muller said. “We have three very solid returners who have a lot of varsity experience. Both Emery and Maddie had great qualifying rounds, so we’re looking for them to be our leaders on the women’s side.”
The program has placed third in the GPAC as recently as 2021, and hopes are high that Concordia can move back towards that territory. This past 2023-24 season, the Bulldogs averaged a team score of 357.2 and placed third at three separate tournaments. In a 2024 conference tournament characterized by low scoring, the Bulldogs shot 352-350-349–1,051. Returners in Custer, Maddie Lewis and Jennifer Gillotti were each part of the GPAC lineup.
A native of Broken Bow, Neb., Custer carries aspirations of contending for a GPAC individual title before her days as a Bulldog are complete. She was named the 2022-23 GPAC Newcomer of the Year as a freshman and then collected second team all-conference accolades as a sophomore. Custer paced the team by averaging a score of 86.0 over 19 rounds in 2023-24. She also placed inside the top 10 of four separate tournaments while holding down the top spot in the lineup.
Said Custer of this year’s expectations, “As a team, we set our goal as never shooting above 350. I think that’s pretty manageable. Individually, I’d like to place top 10 at every meet – the Nebraska Intercollegiate especially. I think that’s our biggest meet before GPAC. There are some pretty big D2 schools there, and I think placing there would make myself known.”
Said Muller of Custer, “The next step for her is to continue to improve her game. She had a very good round in our qualifying, and that has motivated her to continue to work hard. She’s really expanded her expectations. She was the newcomer of the year in the conference as a freshman and finished second team all-conference last year. She’s someone who has a chance to be there at the end and push for the title.”
Lewis (volleyball) and Gillotti (softball) both made their way onto the golf roster after having started their Concordia careers with other athletic programs. Lewis actually tied Custer for the lowest single round score (81) recorded by a Bulldog last season. That 81 spurred Lewis to a 13th-place claim at the Frommelt Fall Classic last September. Gillotti also showed she could go low while posting an 82 at that same tournament. Lewis averaged a score of 91.5 and Gillotti a 94.0 in 19 rounds last season.
Gillotti and Sarah Wilson are the two seniors on the roster. Meanwhile, Custer and Lewis make up the junior class, Abigail Kollbaum and Emma McCoy are sophomores and Makenzie Hughes, Savannah McFalls, Taylor McGuire and Audra Poffinbarger comprise the freshman crew. According to both Muller and Custer, the freshmen are going to make a significant difference for this Concordia team.
Said Muller, “Wrapping up with preseason qualifying, we’ll have two freshmen in our top five for the first tournament up at Mount Marty. We’re definitely seeing some growth from some of the other girls. We’ll have 10 players on the roster this year. We’ll have more depth than we’ve had in the past.”
Custer would agree with such sentiments. The team wouldn’t be setting lofty goals if it didn’t believe they were attainable. Said Custer, “I already think we’re better. Our freshmen have really elevated their games. Qualifying has been super competitive. I’m really excited to see what the team can put together. The scores coming in are really, really good. I haven’t been part of a team this competitive at Concordia.”
The fall portion of the 2024-25 slate is made up of five varsity events. The action gets started this coming Thursday-Friday (Aug. 29-30) with the Mount Marty Invite. The Bulldogs will also compete within the state three times, beginning with the Battle at Bayside (Sept. 9-10) and the Goette Fall Classic (Sept. 9). The entire schedule can be found HERE. The 2025 GPAC Women’s Golf Championships are tentatively set for April 28-29 at a course to be determined.