Statesmen Fifth at Stacked Event
William Penn University Athletics
Clayton, Ind.–Against the best competition it may face all regular season, the William Penn women’s golf team finished in the top half at the Dan Quayle Collegiate Classic hosted by DePauw Saturday and Sunday.
#21 WPU tied for fifth out of 14 teams with a two-day tally of 646 (318-328) at the par-72 Deer Creek Golf Course. A total of eight ranked teams were in the field with #11 (NAIA) Indiana Tech taking the crown at 618 (312-306), rallying past #2 (NCAA Division III) Wittenberg (Ohio) by one stroke.
Jane Hopkinson-Wood of Wittenberg won the individual title at one-under 143 (70-73).
Courtney Cunningham (Sr., Muskogee, Okla., Computer Science) was the top Statesmen linkster, tying for 10th out of 85 players at 156 (77-79).
“Courtney has really embraced her role as a leader and a senior on the team, and has been awesome all season for us,” Head Coach Nik Rule said. “She has developed into our anchor and her attitude has been phenomenal; I am really happy for her.”
Helene Larsen (So., Viborg, Denmark, Business Management) placed in the top 20 as well, tying for 15th at 160 (77-83). Elise Warne (So., Melbourne, Australia, Exercise Science) was next in a tie for 32nd at 164 (83-81), while Brittany Evans (Fr., Fernley, Nev., Business Management) tied for 39th at 166 (81-85).
Jodi Saito (Sr., Mililani, Hawaii, Education) wrapped up the varsity scoring with a 174 (89-85) to tie for 54th.
Miranda Keeler (Jr., Plattsmouth, Neb., Communications) and Alexis Guimaraes (Fr., San Ramon, Calif., Psychology) also competed as individuals. Keeler posted a pair of 80s (160 total) to tie for 15th, while Guimaraes carded a 90 on the first day; the freshman had to withdraw on the second day due to an injury.
“This was a good test for us; I think we learned a lot as a team,” Rule said. “Relatively speaking, it was not a horrible weekend, but it certainly was not what we are capable of. The purpose of playing in this tournament was to play against some of the best small colleges in the country. We held our own against many of them and we know that by reducing unforced errors we can compete with all of them.”
Next Up: William Penn takes two-plus weeks off before traveling to Bellevue, Neb. on October 3-4 to compete in the Bellevue Invitational. Play will be contested at Platteview Golf Course.
