WPU Finishes Weather-Shortened Nationals in 19th Place
William Penn University Athletics
Pooler, Ga.–Demi Coertze (Sr., Johannesburg, South Africa, Digital Communication) ended her storied William Penn women’s golf career with a tremendous effort at the NAIA National Championships Friday.
The championship event was unfortunately dominated by Mother Nature as rain cut the tournament from 72 holes down to 36. The Statesmen posted a 325 in its second round, and coupled with its first round 330, the squad finished at 655 to place 19th out of 27 teams at the par-72 Savannah Quarters Country Club.
Keiser (Fla.) went the lowest in the second round to defend its national title with a two-round score of 599 (306-293). William Woods (Mo.) (311-299–610) and SCAD Savannah (Ga.) (312-298–610) shared runner-up honors. Kaitlyn Riley of Cumberlands (Ky.) was the individual medalist at four-under 140 (72-68), tying a national-tournament best with a 68 on Friday.
Highlighted by four birdies and seven pars, Coertze shot a 75 (38-37) in her collegiate finale; once again she did not suffer anything worse than a bogey. For the tournament, Coertze finished in a tie for sixth out of 143 players at 149 (74-75) to be named to the 15-person all-tournament team.
“Demi did something that has never been accomplished by a female golfer at WPU,” Head Coach Nik Rule said. “Her performance here is something that should go down as one of the greatest individual performances in school history. This was a deep field and she represented our program at the finest level; I am very proud of her.”
Elise Warne (Fr., Melbourne, Australia, Exercise Science) was next in the standings, shooting an 83 (41-42) and finished at 166 (83-83) to tie for 91st. The freshman recorded nine pars Friday.
Natalie Booton (Sr., Mount Pleasant, Elementary Education) carded an 80 (41-39), and with her 88 in the first round, she tied for 97th at 168 in her final collegiate event. The senior produced one birdie alongside nine pars.
Courtney Cunningham (Jr., Muskogee, Okla., Computer Science) shot a 91 (46-45) on Friday. The junior, who also had an 85 in the first round, tied for 118th at 176. She managed one birdie and five pars at the Championships.
Brooke Fletcher (So., Atlantic, Iowa, Business Management) ended the tourney with a second-round 87 (40-47) and tied for 128th at 180 (87-93). The sophomore tallied one birdie and five pars.
“As a team we garnered some invaluable experience,” Rule said. “The conditions were not great and the situation was tough, but we needed this experience for the future. Obviously, we did not play as well as we could have, but we bounced back on our last 18 and were able to outlast three good programs.”
“We accomplished a lot this year–a third straight conference title and a record for wins in a season,” Rule added. “We can hold our heads high for what we achieved.”
“We have always had a big picture approach in our program and we have taken pride in being well ahead of the curve in our sport,” Rule said. “We want to take this program to the next level, to be a top-10 program. As a coach, I am going to take some time this summer to prepare us for the next level.”
“Finally, a special recognition needs to be given to our seniors–Natalie, Jing Yang, and Demi,” Rule added. “They have ended their careers, but made a lasting impact that will always be in the record books.”
