Statesmen Begin Spring by Placing Sixth in Illinois

William Penn University Athletics

Statesmen Begin Spring by Placing Sixth in Illinois

Pekin, Ill.–The Penn men’s golf team played in its first tournament since last fall and knocked off some rust at the Illinois-Springfield Spring Invitational Sunday and Monday.

Penn tied for sixth out of ten teams with a two-day tally of 636 (330-306) at Pekin Country Club, a par-72 layout. The squad’s second-day score was the fourth-lowest, just seven strokes shy of the top number.

In a tournament featuring seven NCAA Division II teams or programs in transition to Division II, Rockhurst (Mo.) won the team crown at 611 (312-299), while Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) was second at 620.

Clarke Fry of Rockhurst easily won the individual crown with a final score of one-under 143 (73-70), five strokes ahead of the nearest competitor.

Viktor Heurlin (Fr., Stockholm, Sweden, Frans Schartau HS) was solid in both rounds to lead Penn in a tie for 13th (out of 57 players). He carded an 80 on a blustery first day, but improved four strokes to 76 on the second day for a final tally of 156.

Sebastian Stobart (Jr., Harare, Zimbabwe, St. Georges College) also placed in the top 20, just one stroke behind his teammate. Stobart tied for 16th at 157 (79-78).

Adriaan de Villiers (So., Akasia, South Africa, Akasia HS) rebounded for a team low of 75 on day two to tie for 25th at 161 (86-75), while Geoff Dammann (So., Wyoming, Midland HS) tied for 29th at 162 (85-77).

Zach Chavez (Fr., Pasadena, Texas, Pasadena Memorial HS) concluded the team’s scoring at 172 (89-83) to tie for 47th.

Next: Penn returns to Iowa to compete in the Simpson Spring Invitational next Tuesday at Indianola Country Club.

Penn Again Takes Weekly Awards

Oskaloosa–Although it was another short week, it was a good one as the Lady Statesmen softball team again swept the Midwest Collegiate Conference Player of the Week honors.

Athena Rosario (Jr., Bremerton, Wash., Olympic CC) was named Player of the Week, while Amber Daly (Jr., Napa, Calif., Solano CC) garnered the Pitcher of the Week laurel. The award is Rosario’s first, while Daly is now a back-to-back winner to open her navy and gold tenure.

The pair led Penn (15-6) to a doubleheader split against Bellevue (Neb.) Saturday, losing 3-2 and winning 11-1 (5).

They only appeared in the nightcap, but had strong performances in guiding the visitors to the mercy-rule victory.

Rosario had singles in her first two at-bats and then reached base her final two times by getting hit by pitch. She scored twice and drove in three runs, including a two-run one-bagger in the seven-run third frame.

For the year, the junior third baseman is hitting .360 (9-of-25) with one triple, eight runs, and six RBIs. She tops the Lady Statesmen with six hit-by-pitch plate appearances. Rosario has hit safely in seven of her 11 contests.

Daly picked up another win in smooth fashion, giving up just three hits in a one-run complete game. She struck out two and retired the final seven batters of the game.

For the year, Daly is 7-1 with a 3.57 Earned Run Average in 53 innings. She has seven complete games, two shutouts, 33 strikeouts, and just six walks. Opponents are hitting .264 against her. Daly has limited her foes to two runs or less in six of her nine appearances.