Statesmen Tied for 17th After First Day of Nationals
by Wade Steinlage
Oklahoma City, Okla.–A strong front nine put the William Penn women’s golf team in contention, but it fell off the pace on the back side as it opened up the NAIA National Championships Tuesday.
WPU is tied for 17th out of 30 teams with a score of 315 at the par-72 Lincoln Park Golf Club (West Course).
Oklahoma City is taking advantage of playing at home, carding a collective one-under 287, while Dalton State (Ga.) is second at 293. OKC’s Melissa Eldredge is currently atop the 155-player standings at five-under 67; she was one of five players in the red on Tuesday.
Led by Brittany Evans (Jr., Fernley, Nev., Business Management) at even par and Elise Warne (Sr., Melbourne, Australia, Exercise Science) and Megan Rhoads (Sr., Schertz, Texas, Psychology) at one-over, the navy and gold were only one-over at the turn. Unfortunately, the squad struggled down the stretch.
At day’s end, Evans and Warne headlined the efforts by tying for 33rd at 75. Both players had the exact same scoring line with four birdies, eight pars, five bogeys, and one double bogey.
Rhoads enters the second day tied for 89th at 80. She had the team’s last birdie, while also posting nine pars, seven bogeys, and one double bogey.
Alexis Guimaraes (Jr., San Ramon, Calif., Psychology) shot an 85 to tie for 125th. The junior produced seven pars, 10 bogeys, and one tripe bogey. Deanna Peiffer (Jr., Washington, Iowa, Public Accounting) rounded out the lineup with an 87 to tie for 134th. She ended the round with eight pars, five bogeys, and five double bogeys.
William Penn is back on the course Wednesday at 8:54 a.m., once again pairing up with Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and Midway (Ky.). The team will need to maintain its position in the top 17 to make the cut.
“We were so proud with how we started,” Head Coach Nik Rule said. “We had a tenacity and belief in ourselves that was unmatched. Towards the end of the round, however, we became tentative and began to doubt our abilities, which caused us to slide on the back nine.”
“We had a good team meeting tonight and made a commitment to one another that we would leave it all out on the course tomorrow, with full and unequivocal belief in our abilities,” Rule added. “If we are successful in that commitment, we will not only make the cut, but climb up the leaderboard.”
