2019-20 Women's Golf
*3rd in the GPAC (336-345–681) when season ended | Season Stats
Schedule/Results
Matthew Goette Classic (Sept. 4) | Tiburon GC | Omaha, Neb. | Results
Midland Invite (Sept. 9) | Fremont GC | Fremont, Neb. | Results
Lila Frommelt Invite (Sept. 13-14) | Two Rivers GC | Dakota Dunes, S.D. | Results
Nebraska Wesleyan Fall Classic (Sept. 17) | Pioneers GC | Lincoln, Neb. | Results
Sioux City Match Play (Sept. 25) | Green Valley GC | Sioux City, Iowa | Results
GPAC Fall Championships (Sept. 30) | The Bluffs | Vermillion, S.D. | Results
Baker Invite (March 23-24) | CANCELED
Concordia Bulldog Invite (April 1-2) | CANCELED
College of Saint Mary Invite (April 7) | CANCELED
Morningside Invite (April 8) | CANCELED
Dordt Invite (April 16-17) | CANCELED
GPAC Spring Championships (April 24-25) | CANCELED
NAIA National Championships (May 12-15) | CANCELED
Sears, Placke earn medals to open 2019-20 season
OMAHA, Neb. – The duo of senior Murphy Sears and sophomore Kendra Placke is back at it again. Both Bulldogs earned medals as the Concordia University women’s golf team opened the 2019-20 season at the Matthew Goette Classic on Wednesday (Sept. 4). As a team, the Bulldogs placed fourth out of 11 squads present at Tiburon Golf Club in Omaha, Neb. Sixty-eight individuals competed in the tournament.
With head coach Brett Muller simultaneously leading the men’s team at the Blue River Classic, graduate assistant coach Tanner Randall guided the Concordia women through Wednesday’s round. They shot a team score of 356, which came in under the team’s season average from the 2018-19 campaign.
Both returning All-GPAC performers, Sears and Placke are big reasons for optimism this fall and coming spring. In the first round of this season, Sears tied for second place with a seven-over-par 79 while Placke placed fourth with a nine-over-par 81. The Bulldogs were the only team to put two golfers in the top five. The rest of Concordia’s top five included junior Andrea Peterson (95; T-33rd), sophomore Britney Jepsen (97; T-42nd) and senior Paighton Barbre (101; T-49th).
Three other Bulldogs competed on Wednesday: freshmen Lauren Havlat (101; T-49th), Logan Eschliman (105; 57th) and Ashley Gerczynski (117; 66th).
The fall season will pick back up on Monday (Sept. 9) with the Midland Invite at Fremont Golf Club in Fremont, Neb. At the same event last year, Placke carded an 82 and Sears shot an 83.
Placke, Sears lead Bulldogs to second place trophy at Midland Invite
FREMONT, Neb. – The Concordia University women’s golf team is coming back to Seward with some hardware. The star duo of senior Murphy Sears and Kendra Placke led the Bulldogs to a second place finish at Monday (Sept. 9)’s Midland Fall Invite in Fremont, Neb. The first- and second-place squads both received trophies at the conclusion of the event.
Ninth-year head coach Brett Muller’s squad shot a team score of 353 on Monday, one stroke off of tournament champion Mount Marty. Both Placke and Sears placed inside the top 10 on the individual leaderboard in a tournament that featured eight teams and 50 golfers.
“We definitely had an opportunity to win it,” Muller said. “We weren’t playing with Mount Marty so we didn’t really know how the team scoring was going. I thought the girls had a great mindset coming in and never used the weather or the elements as an excuse.”
Light rain fell throughout long stretches of play at Fremont Golf Club. Despite tougher conditions and a tougher course than what it navigated five days ago, Concordia shaved three strokes off its season opening total at the Matthew Goette Classic. Placke made a push for individual medalist honors by shooting an eight-over-par 81. That put her in a tie for second place. Sears shared sixth place with a total of 85.
The remainder of the lineup included senior Paighton Barbre (92; T-19th), freshman Lauren Havlat (95; T-23rd) and sophomore Britney Jepsen (101; T-33rd). Freshmen Logan Eschliman (108; 44th) and Ashley Gerczynski (111; 46th) also represented the Bulldogs in Fremont.
“Paighton was very excited with her score,” Muller said. “That was by far her best performance at Fremont. It was also good to see Lauren Havlat shoot 95 today. She definitely showed some of her potential. This was much more of what we expected from her.”
It may be just a matter of time before Placke or Sears claims a tournament title this fall or spring. Sears placed second last week at the Goette Classic. They combined for seven top five tournament finishes during the 2018-19 season. Said Muller, “Kendra got off to kind of a rough start but settled in and played solid down the stretch.”
Next up on the schedule is the Lila Frommelt Invite hosted by Briar Cliff this Friday and Saturday. Both rounds will play out at Two Rivers Golf Club in Dakota Dunes, S.D.
Concordia places sixth at Lila Frommelt Classic
DAKOTA DUNES, S.D. – The Concordia University women’s golf team returned to action this weekend and placed in a tie for sixth at the two-day Lila Frommelt Classic (Sept. 13-14). Eight Bulldogs represented the program while sophomore Kendra Placke led the way with a 16th place individual claim. Placke and company shot identical team scores in both rounds (355-355–710).
Head coach Brett Muller’s squad was coming off a second-place finish earlier in the week at the Midland Invite. In this weekend’s event that took place at Two Rivers Golf Club in Dakota Dunes, S.D., Concordia finished just two strokes out of fifth place amongst a 12-team field.
The results for Placke were not quite at her standard. She shot a 36-hole total of 86-85–171. It was a solid tournament for junior Andrea Peterson (88-87–175), who placed 23rd out of 71 individuals. Senior Murphy Sears (88-88–176) was right behind her. The remainder of the team’s scores can be viewed below.
Concordia Results
T-16. Kendra Placke – 86-85–171 (+29)
T-23. Andrea Peterson – 88-87–175 (+33)
T-25. Murphy Sears – 88-88–176 (+34)
T-42. Lauren Havlat – 93-100–193 (+51)
T-42. Britney Jepsen – 100-93–193 (+51)
T-54. Logan Eschliman – 99-97–196 (+54)
62. Paighton Barbre – 106-95–201 (+59)
68. Ashley Gerczynski – 107-111–218 (+76)
The Bulldogs won’t have to wait long to resume the fall season on Tuesday at the Nebraska Wesleyan Invite. Pioneers Golf Course in Lincoln, Neb., will serve as the venue for the 18-hole event.
Bulldogs claim team title, Placke individual champ at NWU Classic
LINCOLN, Neb. – Not since former GPAC champion Amy Ahlers led the way at the College of Saint Mary Spring Invite in April 2016 had the Concordia University women’s golf program claimed a team championship. That changed on Tuesday (Sept. 17) when sophomore and individual champion Kendra Placke spurred the Bulldogs to a title at the Nebraska Wesleyan University Fall Classic. Placke and company bested a field of seven squads who navigated Pioneers Golf Course in Lincoln, Neb.
Placke came through under pressure. After tying for first with two others at five-over-par 79, Placke birdied the playoff hole to seize the first individual tournament championship of her career. It was a day to remember for head coach Brett Muller’s program.
“We just came in with a great mindset,” Muller said. “We knew Pioneers set up pretty well for us and came in with the goal of winning the tournament. We got off to such a great start on the front nine. The course got tougher on the back nine and tougher to putt with the wind picking up. It was a very complete team effort. There were a lot of personal bests today. To have all eight girls under 100 was nice to see too.”
It was really only a matter of time before the Seward High School product Placke won a tournament. She entered the day with seven top-five place finishes out of 11 career events. The 79 she shot on Tuesday represented a season low. Her remarkable consistency makes her a threat to win any time she steps on the course.
“Kendra’s been pretty close quite a few times,” Muller said. “She was in a three-way tie for first and ended up birdying hole No. 1, a par five. She had a good chip and then made about a six-footer for her first win.
“She got about as excited as she gets,” Muller joked of the calm and collected Placke.
Of course the Seward native needed help from her teammates in order for Concordia to rise to the top of the leaderboard. When the Bulldogs made the turn, Placke stood at 38, senior Murphy Sears at 39, sophomore Britney Jepsen at 40, junior Andrea Peterson at 44 and freshman Lauren Havlat at 45. By day’s end, Concordia carded a team score of 337, a full 16 strokes better than its previous season low (and five strokes off a school record for one round).
Sears finished with an 82 and tied for fourth place. The rest of the top five showed Jepsen with a career low of 87 (T-12th), Peterson with an 89 (T-14th) and Havlat with a 95 (T-25th). Three Bulldogs competed as individuals: freshman Ashley Gerczynski (96; T-27th), senior Paighton Barbre (97; T-29th) and freshman Logan Eschliman (98; 32nd). There were 38 total individuals who competed.
As a team, the Bulldogs beat out York College (2nd), College of Saint Mary (3rd), Doane (4th), Midland (5th), Nebraska Wesleyan (6th) and a second squad from Doane (7th).
The number of fall events is dwindling down. Next up is the Sioux City Match Play meet on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at Green Valley Golf Course in Sioux City, Iowa.
Bulldogs fall to Morningside, top Jamestown in match play
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – In a unique match play event that featured 36 holes of action on Wednesday (Sept. 25), the Concordia University women’s golf team bounced back from a 4-1 loss to Morningside to defeat Jamestown, 3-2. Briar Cliff was also present at the four-team Sioux City Match Play tournament held at Green Valley Golf Course in Sioux City, Iowa.
Head coach Brett Muller’s squad had been coming off a tournament victory at last week’s Nebraska Wesleyan Fall Classic. The Bulldogs were matched with one of the GPAC’s top teams when they teed off in the morning on Wednesday.
“I thought going in that if we played well we could win two matches,” Muller said. “Morningside continues to prove they are the favorite in the GPAC. Beating Jamestown was a big win for us. I told the girls after the Jamestown match finished, I am proud of where we are right now. We need to sharpen up a bit before Monday.”
Just named GPAC Golfer of the Week earlier in the day, sophomore Kendra Placke won both of her matches in Sioux City. She defeated Samantha Knight (2&1) and Paige Argent (8&7). Senior Murphy Sears and sophomore Britney Jepsen emerged with victories over their Jamestown counterparts to allow Concordia eke out the team win over the Jimmies. Jepsen came up clutch when her match went to a 19th hole. Muller’s lineup also included junior Andrea Peterson and freshman Lauren Havlat.
All that remains on the fall schedule is next week’s GPAC Fall Championships, set to play out Monday and Tuesday (Sept. 30 – Oct. 1) at The Bluffs in Vermillion, S.D. Two conference championship rounds will also be contested during the spring portion of the 2019-20 season.
Wednesday Match Play Results
Morningside 4, Concordia 1
Kendra Placke (CUNE) def. Samantha Knight 2&1
Maria Zorilla (MC) def. Murphy Sears 6&4
Laia Badosa (MC) def. Andrea Peterson 5&3
Paola Reimundi (MC) def. Britney Jepsen 5&4
Maria Nava (MC) def. Lauren Havlat 9&7
Concordia 3, Jamestown 2
Kendra Placke (CUNE) def. Paige Argent 8&7
Murphy Sears (CUNE) def. Izzy Marchino 2&1
Amber Domres (UJ) def. Andrea Peterson (Injury withdrawal, UJ led by 5 through 9)
Britney Jepsen (CUNE) def. Jayme Carlson 1up (19 holes)
Sara Azure (UJ) def. Lauren Havlat 6&5
Bulldogs finish fall season third in GPAC race
VERMILLION, S.D. – The usual suspects Kendra Placke and Murphy Sears led the way while the rest of the Concordia University women’s golf team rose to the occasion on Monday (Sept. 30) at the fall portion of the 2019-20 GPAC Championships. Due to the threat of inclement weather on Tuesday, 36 holes of conference action were packed into one day at The Bluffs Golf Course in Vermillion, S.D. The Bulldogs turned in a team total of 336-345–681 to position themselves in third place in the GPAC standings.
A top three finish in the conference would represent a significant leap forward from the program’s seventh-place claim in 2018-19. Concordia stood in sixth place at this time a year ago.
“I thought we had a great mindset coming in,” Muller said. “It’s a course that sets up pretty well for us. Four of the five girls played here last year and played well. We got off to a great start in the first 18. We didn’t get off to the best start in the second 18, but we finished the day fairly strong.”
Placke entered this season with a realistic shot of competing for an individual GPAC title. She will have work to do in the spring if she’s to reach the top of the leaderboard, but Placke shot well enough (78-84–162) to put herself in sixth place. The senior Sears is seven strokes behind her at 83-86–169 (tied for 14th place). Both Placke and Sears earned all-conference recognition last season.
In order to challenge for top-three team placement, the Bulldogs needed continued improvement from the rest of the lineup. They got that on Monday. Junior Andrea Peterson, sophomore Britney Jepsen and freshman Lauren Havlat each carded a personal best round at The Bluffs. The overall totals were 83-89–172 (T-18th) for Peterson, 92-86–178 (T-26th) for Jepsen and 94-89–183 (T-39th) for Havlat.
“To have all five girls break 90 in that second 18 was huge for us,” Muller said. “Not counting any scores in the 90 took some pressure off Kendra and Murphy. They didn’t play as well in that second 18, but our team score didn’t shoot up like it has in the past if we didn’t play as well in the one and two spots. A lot of girls played well and added depth to the back half of our lineup.”
It will be a major challenge for anyone to catch Morningside at the top of the standings, but second place is within Concordia’s reach. It trails Briar Cliff (338-335–673) by eight strokes entering the spring.
The fall season is now in the books for Bulldog women’s golf. They will pick things back up in 2020 encouraged by their play on Monday. The entire spring schedule is not yet finalized, but the dates for the next GPAC rounds are April 24-25 at Bent Tree Golf Club in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Says Muller, “There’s a pretty big grouping in that next tier and we want to finish strong and put ourselves in position to finish second in the conference.”