Weather Forces Early Cut, Statesmen Finish 18th at Nationals
William Penn University Athletics
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.–Mother Nature 1, Statesmen 0. Unforeseen weather issues made for a disappointing week for the Statesmen women’s golf team as it competed at the NAIA National Championships Tuesday and Wednesday.
Ranked #24 in the nation, the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament champions posted a two-day score of 667 (332-335) to place 18th out of 30 teams at PGA National Golf Course. Unfortunately, the second round was suspended due to rain (the first round was suspended as well), forcing the NAIA to make the decision to cut the field down to 17 teams after 36 holes instead of the original plan of 54 holes.
The Statesmen finished three strokes behind Faulkner for the 17th and final spot.
With nearly two full rounds complete (another weather delay occurred Thursday morning), third-ranked Oklahoma City leads the way at +39 (on Holes 13-16). South Carolina Beaufort is second at +42 (Holes 13-16), while defending national champion Keiser (Fla.) is struggling in 12th at +73 (two rounds completed).
The navy and gold started Tuesday’s opening round well, but as the weather deteriorated, so did their play. Late in the round, the rain became too much and caused stoppage of action until Wednesday morning.
Despite getting some much-needed rest, WPU was not able to recover, finishing the first 18 holes in 16th place. Unfortunately, the second round did not see the Statesmen right their ship as they dropped another rung in the standings.
Helene Larsen (So., Viborg, Denmark, Business Management) paced William Penn as she was tied for 46th with a 162 (80-82). Her first round included 11 pars and one birdie, while her second go-round featured nine parred holes.
Miranda Keeler (Sr., Plattsmouth, Neb., Communications) was just two strokes back of her at 164 (82-82) to be tied for 68th. Keeler’s initial round had 10 pars and a birdie, and her second round included 11 pars.
Elise Warne (So., Melbourne, Australia, Exercise Science) and Courtney Cunningham (Sr., Muskogee, Okla., Computer Science) were next in a tie for 99th at 171 (both shot 85-86). Warne had seven pars and one birdie in the first round and seven more pars in the second 18 holes, while Cunningham had eight pars and a birdie in the first round and seven pars and an additional birdie in the latter round.
Jodi Saito (Sr., Mililani, Hawaii, Education), in a tie for 128th at 178 (93-85), rounded out the lineup. She parred four holes to in the Championship’s opening round and managed six more pars in the second round.
“Despite not performing at the level we have all season, we were still able to beat five teams ranked ahead of us, including the #11 team in the country,” Head Coach Nik Rule said. “We are obviously a little disappointed, but we have just completed the most successful season in program history and our players will understand that after a few days.”
“Sometimes moments like this are what a program needs to get to that next level,” Rule added. “Our returning players will watch that final round tomorrow and they will learn from the best teams in the country, because we certainly show that we are at times.”
“Courtney and Jodi completed outstanding careers here,” Rule said. “Both of them will be in the top-four of career scoring average. That is very impressive and we are grateful for their dedication to this special University.”
