Kronmuller-Less William Penn Finishes Second Again
William Penn Women’s Athletics
La Crosse, Wis.–The Lady Statesmen golf team had the two best players on the course this weekend, but in the process also possibly suffered a big loss as it competed at the Viterbo Invitational Saturday and Sunday.
William Penn finished second out of seven teams at the par-72 La Crosse Country Club with a tally of 700 (351-349). Host Viterbo claimed the team win at 686 (341-345).
The navy and gold claimed medalist and runner-up honors in the individual race as Maggie Yang (So., Chino, Calif., Biology) shot 160 (79-81) to hold off teammate Demi Coertze (Fr., Johannesburg, South Africa, Undecided) by two shots. Coertz posted scores of 83 and 79.
It was the third career title for Yang. Both players have now placed in the top five in each of the first two events this fall.
“Maggie and Demi are really starting to settle in as leaders on the course,” Head Coach Nik Rule said. “They both have high expectations and thrive in competition. A 1-2 finish individually by players from the same school is rare and it is a testament to the depth we have at the top of our lineup. Along with Courtney Kronmuller (Sr., Fountain Valley, Calif., Communications), we have three ladies that should always look for ways to improve aspects of their game to where they are firing two-day totals under 160.”
Unfortunately, the good news abruptly ended there. Kronmuller suffered an injury earlier in the week, and after posting a 95 on Saturday, withdrew from the tournament. It is unknown at this time how long the returning honorable-mention all-conference player may be out of action.
Ashley Manhnieo (So., Las Vegas, Nev., Business Management) was the next scorer for William Penn, tying for 11th at 189 (94-95), while Natalie Booton (Fr., Mount Pleasant, Undecided) and her score of 190 (96-94) was good enough to tie for 13th. Danielle Giannotti (Jr., Phoenix, Ariz.), making her Lady Statesmen debut, tied for 16th at 192 (97-95).
“With Courtney out, we were without a drop score and I challenged our team to still improve from the first day and said good teams find ways to get it done when all the odds are against them,” Rule said. “I feel that our improvement on Sunday is a perfect example of the fight this team has and I am proud of them. Although we finished second, we walked away from La Crosse Country Club tougher and even more united.”
“We are still searching for that consistency from the bottom of our lineup,” Rule added. “We have an extremely deep 1-2-3 punch and we have four ladies battling for the 4 and 5 spots who have the potential of shooting mid-to-low 80’s consistently. We will continue to give them a chance until we find the two who are going to solidify the bottom half of our lineup because that is the barrier between us finishing second or winning the tournament.”
A long week begins next Sunday with William Penn traveling to Cedar Falls to play in the William Penn-Central Challenge. The squad then hits the road for Lincoln, Neb. on the following Monday and Tuesday for the NAIA Preview.
“The next ten days are going to be demanding,” Rule said. “This week getting healthy and focusing on our short game will be keys to success next week.”
