Coppess earns individual title, Central wins team title at Wartburg women’s golf triangular

Central Dutch Athletics

ANKENY — Junior Brittany Coppess (Clinton) captured the individual title at the Wartburg women’s golf triangular Sunday after a two-round total 161.

Coppess shot an opening round 76 Saturday and followed it up with an 85 but was able to fend off Wartburg College’s Brooke Klostermann, the fifth-ranked golfer in the nation, according to golfstat.com.

The Dutch won the triangular with a combined score of 658, besting host Wartburg by nine strokes on the par-72, 5,812-yard Otter Creek Golf Course.

“Extremely happy to end the year with a win,” said coach Tim Wilkinson. “We have been playing really well this spring and for us to go out on another positive note is great. Our women have been working extremely hard with assistant coach Sarah Paulson and I think she helped them tremendously this spring. She’s pretty much been the main coach they’ve dealt with this spring and I think she put them in situations that were out of their comfort zone.”

Sophomore Lexie Patton (Aurelia, Alta-Aurelia HS) finished third after recording an 83, adding to her opening round 80. Sophomore Emily Opsal (Verona, Wis., Verona Area HS) tied for fourth with teammate Cierra Pulse (Stronghurst, Ill., West Central HS) with combined scores of 167; 78-89, 81-86 respectively. Senior Molly Timmerman (Dubuque) placed 11th after rounds of 81-95 in the 20-player field.

“Really proud of how we played all spring but also with how the women dealt with the tough conditions today (high winds),” said Wilkinson.

The Dutch return three letterwinners from this year’s squad. Central’s senior class has left a mark in the program’s history, according to Wilkinson.

“I’m extremely grateful for our senior class of Alison Kretzinger (Johnston), Cierra (Pulse), Valorie Taylor (Hartley, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn HS) and Molly (Timmerman),” he said. “They were part of the first team to make it to nationals and that’s something we will all have to look back on. I wish them all the best.”