Statesmen Roll to Sixth Straight League Crown
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Lake Ozark, Mo.–It was a dominating performance from start to finish as the William Penn women’s golf team kept the title streak alive at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championships Tuesday through Thursday.
#16 WPU finished first out of 10 teams with a three-round score of 934 (313-310-311) at the par-72 Osage National Golf Course. Grand View was second with 1,010 strokes, 76 behind the navy and gold. GVU’s Karli Kerrigan won the medalist honor out of 48 individuals at 225 (76-74-75).
Kerrigan will join William Penn as Heart representatives at the NAIA National Championships from May 14-17 in Oklahoma City, Okla. at Lincoln Park Golf Course. The squad will look to improve upon last year’s 10th-place finish, its highest in program history.
The conference crown is the sixth in a row for the Statesmen, dating back to 2014, and is the fourth in a row in the Heart. It is also the seventh event victory this season for William Penn.
It was a total team victory as all five WPU linksters placed in the top seven, headlined by Brittany Evans (Jr., Fernley, Nev., Business Management) earning runner-up honors at 228 (77-74-77).
Megan Rhoads (Sr., Schertz, Texas, Psychology) was just one shot behind Evans, ending up third at 229 (73-78-78). The senior’s first-round score was the lowest of the event. Elise Warne (Sr., Melbourne, Australia, Exercise Science) was on the five-person all-tournament team as well, taking fourth at 231 (78-77-76).
Bailee Frayne (Fr., Garner, Iowa, Elementary Education), with scores of 85-81-83, and Alexis Guimaraes (Jr., San Ramon, Calif., Psychology), with scores of 87-82-80, tied for seventh at 249 to wrap up the lineup.
“What a remarkable accomplishment that the ladies on the team have achieved for our university,” Head Coach Nik Rule said. “Every player in the program pushed one another and are a massive part of the success.”
“This team has been through a great deal of adversity this year,” Rule added. “They could have let it define them, but they came together as one team and persevered. This is such a tight and special group.”
