Statesmen Take Heart Preview Title, Franco Wins Medalist Honor
Moravia–Gabriana Franco (Fr., Tracy, Calif., Exercise Science) won her second tournament of the season and guided the William Penn women’s golf team to its own crown at the Heart Preview Monday and Tuesday.
WPU was first out of 11 teams with a two-round score of 630 (318-312) at the par-72 The Preserve Golf Course, the track that will host the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship next spring. Park was a distant second at 657 (328-329). It is the Statesmen’s third team title of the year.
Franco, who paced the 68-player field, headlined her performance with an even-par 72 the first day. She then followed that up with a 78 for a final tally of 152. The freshman has now won two events, including the season-opening William Penn Navy and Gold Classic last month.
Olivia Lange (So., Buckeburg, Germany, Business Management) and Carlee Frayne (Jr., Garner, Iowa, Sport Management) also finished in the top five. Lange was fourth overall at 157 (81-76), while Frayne tied for fifth at 160 (81-79–160). Lange’s score on Tuesday was the lowest in the field.
Courtney Jackson (Sr., Liberty Lake, Wash., Digital Communication) was close behind, placing seventh at 161 (82-79). Jaclyn Wojciechowski (Sr., Graytown, Ohio, Business Management) wrapped up the varsity scoring in a tie for 27th at 174 (87-87).
Grace Butler (Jr., Arnolds Park, Iowa, Engineering), at 81-88, and Olivia Cramer (So., Lawton, Mich., Civil Engineering and Computer Science), 86-83, led WPU’s reserve linksters as they tied for 17th at 169. As a team, the reserve squad was sixth at 349-338–687.
“Our ladies once again showed their composure in the tricky conditions,” Head Coach Elise Warne said. “I was very impressed with their poise in the brutal cold, rain, and wind. There is no doubt that the conference has some really good players in it. It was great to see that we were able to keep our foot on the pedal no matter what was thrown at us.”
“What made me really proud was the performance of our reserve team as it finished in the middle of the pack, beating many varsity squads,” Warne added. “Our depth is what has made this team so successful for many years. Overall, this was a very successful fall campaign, and we are really excited to have a little time off before the sprint that is the spring season.”
Up Next: William Penn, which will start its off-season training soon, will resume playing next March.
