Yang, Team Break Records at Shortened Concordia Tourney
William Penn Women’s Athletics
Detroit Lakes, Minn.–Maggie Yang (Jr., Chino, Calif., Biology) and her teammates only needed to see Wildflower Golf Course once to dominate it as two big school records fell or were matched at the Concordia Invitational Saturday.
The Statesmen placed second out of 14 teams at the par-72 venue by tying a school 18-hole record related to par of 318 (+30). NCAA Division III St. Benedict (Minn.) edged out the navy and gold by three strokes for the team title. William Penn was also 30-over-par as a team at the Ashford Invitational this past spring.
Yang led a field of 87 players as she crushed her own 18-hole individual record by three shots with an even-par 72. The junior, who won by two strokes, managed four birdies against four bogeys in the stellar round. She was one-under on the front nine and one-over on the back. The field consisted of players from all of the four-year college divisions.
“Maggie played some of the best golf I have seen while coaching collegiately,” Head Coach Nik Rule said. “She has grown so much since she stepped foot on campus two years ago, and that is why a result like this does not surprise me. It excites me because I know she can continue to play at this level. I tell our team all the time that hard work pays off and Maggie is a perfect example of that right now.”
Yang was equally excited about how well she played, but also of the excellence shown by the Statesmen as a whole.
“Coach always tells us hard work pays off and I worked really hard this summer and it feels nice to bring it together to shoot the score I did to help the team,” Yang said. “I am really happy how the team played over the weekend and I feel like we are a lot closer and everything just feels right. I am really looking forward to the rest of the season with my teammates.”
Demi Coertze (So., Johannesburg, South Africa, Digital Communication) also worked herself in the top five by tying for fifth at 77. Alexandria Eckenrod (Jr., Mason City, Iowa, Elementary Education) just missed the top 20, tying for 21st at 81.
“Demi is another player who is really coming to form,” Rule said. “She has battled the mental game and I am seeing some positive long-term progress with her. Alexandria continued to show her consistency; her game has excelled in this first month as well.”
Courtney Cunningham (Fr., Muskogee, Okla., Computer Science) and Ashley Manhnieo (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev., Business Management) both shot 88 to tie for 58th.
“We are pleased with our performance this weekend,” Rule said. “This tournament was packed with top D-II and D-III talent from the upper-Midwest and we gave ourselves a chance to win. Our entire program has really focused hard on shaving strokes off here and there and I believe this performance is a good example of that. Wildflower Golf Course is a very tough test, with trouble everywhere and elevation changes on each hole, but that did not faze our group.”
Danielle Giannotti (Sr., Phoenix, Ariz., Psychology & Human Services) paced the varsity reserve squad that was also in action. The senior recorded an 82 to tie for 26th, while Jing Yang (Fr., Woodland Hills, Calif., Biology) was next in a tie for 43rd with an 85.
Natalie Booton (So., Mount Pleasant, Elementary Education) and Alexi Rule (Fr., Idaho Falls, Idaho, Education) tied for 48th with identical 86s, and Carly Schmalz (Fr., Buffalo Lake, Minn., History/Government) recorded an 89 to tie for 63rd in her home state.
“There is a lot to be excited about with this team,” Rule said. “We have had 8-10 players in the 70s and 80s at our last two tournaments and our varsity reserve players are making a serious case to move up in our lineup.”
“We will be doing some qualifying to shore up the back end of our lineup, which I still believe is a place we can shave off 5-6 strokes a round,” Rule added. “Overall, we have a lot of players who can play at this high level and that is a good problem to have. As coaches, it is our job to put the hottest players in the top five.”
Next: William Penn travels to Lincoln, Neb. Sunday and the following Monday for the Nebraska Wesleyan Invitational at Mahoney Golf Course and Holmes Golf Course.
