William Penn Athletics Roundup October 12
William Penn University Athletics
Stobart Runner-Up at Home Meet
Riverside–Sebastian Stobart (Jr., Harare, Zimbabwe, St. Georges College) was in contention for the individual title but his effort landed just short as he paced the Penn men’s golf team at the Statesmen Classic Monday and Tuesday.
The Statesmen placed third out of 14 teams with a two-day tally of 620 (312-308) at Blue Top Ridge Golf Course, a par-72 layout. The tournament was a pseudo-league preview tournament as the course will serve as the host site for the spring’s Midwest Collegiate Conference Championships.
Fellow MCC squad Mount Mercy rallied with a 291 on the second day to win the team crown at 608 (317-291), while Wheaton (Ill.) was second at 618. The Mustangs also claimed the individual medalist honor as Ned Carter shot a four-under 67 Tuesday to finish at two-over par 144 (77-67).
Stobart (72) and the Statesmen (312) had a strong first day as each led their respective standings by three strokes. Unfortunately, a decent concluding round was not good enough to stave off some hot competition as the junior finished second (out of 83 competitors) with a 146 (72-74).
Adriaan de Villiers (So., Akasia, South Africa, Akasia HS) managed two rounds in the 70s as well, tying for 13th at 155 (78-77).
Viktor Heurlin (Stockholm, Sweden, Frans Schartau HS) was next in a tie for 23rd with a 159 (82-77), while Joe Lennon-Joiner (Buckinghamshire, England, The Misbourne School) tied for 32nd at 161 (81-80).
Seth Vernon (Sr., Knoxville, Knoxville HS) also competed for the varsity, tying for 40th at 165 (81-84).
Led by Geoff Dammann (So., Wyoming, Midland HS) and his 166 (87-79) which tied for 43rd, Penn’s Blue team (top junior varsity team) was 11th in the team race.
Lady Statesmen Fall in Five Sets to Clarke
Dubuque–Morgan Bailey (Sr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) pounded 17 kills with a .400 attack percentage, but her team could not finish off its rally as the Penn volleyball team fell to Clarke 3-2 in Midwest Collegiate Conference play Tuesday.
Penn (17-11, 3-2 MCC) lost by scores of 23-25, 20-25, 25-13, 25-17, 10-15. The visitors actually outhit the Crusaders .187-.152, highlighted by dominating the third and fourth sets, but failed to shut the door in the final set.
Bailey led all players in attack percentage, while her kill tally was second overall.
Emily Stanton (Sr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS), with 12, and Brittany Rohling (Jr., Thayer, Kan., Neosho CC), with 11, also reached double figures in kills.
Krista Pettit (Sr., Grundy Center, Grundy Center HS) and Katherine Stumberg (Jr., Williamsburg, Williamsburg HS) combined for 46 assists, led by 24 via Pettit.
Pettit and Caitlin Hadden (Sr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) also recorded three aces each, contributing to the ten overall service points won by the Lady Statesmen. Hadden added a team-best 17 digs as a defender.
While her offensive numbers were solid, Rohling gave much on the defensive end as well with one solo block and five assists.
Next: Penn travels to Joliet, Ill. this weekend to compete in the St. Francis Tournament. On Friday, the Lady Statesmen meet the host Fighting Saints at 4 p.m. and Cornerstone (Mich.) at 6 p.m. On Saturday, Penn takes on Saint Xavier (Ill.) at 9 a.m. and Bethel (Ind.) at 11 a.m.
Women End Fall Slate with Consecutive One-Day Tourneys
Iowa City/Cedar Rapids–The Lady Statesmen linksters concluded their fall season by competing in a pair of invitationals Sunday and Monday.
On Sunday, Penn placed seventh out of 11 teams with a score of 369 at the Ashford Classic hosted at Finkbine Golf Course, a par-72 track. Host Ashford won the team title at 334, while Caitlin Childers of St. Ambrose was the meet medalist with a 79.
The following day, the squad was fifth out of seven teams with a score of 390 at the Donald Ross Collegiate Invitational hosted by Mount Mercy at Cedar Rapids Country Club, another par-72 venue. Viterbo (Wis.) upended Ashford this time around with a score of 351 as V-Hawk Chelsea McCoy carded a 79 for the individual honor.
Amanda Paceley (Jr., Higley, Ariz., South Mountain CC) topped the Lady Statesmen Sunday in sixth place (out of 56 players) at 83, while Courtney Kronmuller (So., Fountain Valley, Calif., Fullerton CC) was also in the 80s at 89 to tie for 21st.
Dena Stevens (Sr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS), in a tie for 30th at 93, and Aubrey Leasure (Jr., St. Peter, Minn., St. Peter HS), in a tie for 50th at 104, concluded the team’s scoring on Sunday.
“We are beginning to take form as a team and our results are improving, in large part due to the ladies working hard in practice this week,” Lady Statesmen Head Coach Nik Rule said. “Finkbine is the home course of the Iowa Hawkeyes, a legitimate Division 1 program and we put together a respectable score. The thing I love most about this team is that they refuse to be satisfied until we are on top which will no doubt benefit us long-term.”
Paceley and Stevens led the way Monday as each posted a 94 to tie for 16th (out of 44 players). Kronmuller tied for 26th by scoring a 99, while Leasure ended in a tie for 31st at 103.
“I am very proud of the team and their hard work in bringing the Lady Statesmen golf program back,” Rule said. “The foundation has been built and I know they are ready to work hard this winter leading up to our spring season. We said from day one we were going to change the culture of this program and we are now in a position to work our way up the ladder.”
Wade Steinlage
