William Penn Earns Runner-Up Finish Against Top MCC Competition
The Lady Statesmen were second for the second week in a row (photo submitted)
La Crosse, Wis.–It a preview of what the top of the league leaderboard may look like next April, the Lady Statesmen golf team nearly came up with tourney gold at the Viterbo Invitational Saturday and Sunday.
William Penn placed second out of six teams with a two-day tally of 671 (331-340) at the par-71 Forest Hills Golf Course and the par-72 La Crosse Country Club. Host Viterbo held off the navy and gold to win by 21 strokes with a 650 (326-324). Fellow MCC program Grand View was third at 687 (340-347).
The V-Hawks’ Chelsea McCoy left the course as medalist with a 157 (82-75), holding off William Penn’s Maggie Yang (Fr., Chino, Calif., Diamond Bar HS) by four strokes. Yang led the field after 18 holes by posting a first round 78, but concluded the event with a solid 83 to place second (out of 35 players) at 161. It is her third straight top ten to begin her collegiate career.
Dena Stevens (Sr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) and Courtney Kronmuller (Jr., Fountain Valley, Calif., Fullerton CC) were in the top ten as well, taking fifth and eighth, respectively. Stevens shot a 164 (80-84), while Kronmuller finished at 166 (80-88).
Mayci Rule (So., Idaho Falls, Idaho, Skyline HS) and Ashley Manhnieo (Fr., Las Vegas, Nev., Olathe Northwest HS) both helped their squad’s cause on Sunday by improving from the opening day.
Rule tied for 13th overall with a 180 (93-87), while Manhnieo was 20th at 190 (99-91).
Presley Joss (Jr., Osceola, Clarke HS), making her first appearance on the varsity this fall, tied for 24th at 198 (96-102).
William Penn has closed the gap dramatically after taking seventh at the Midwest Collegiate Conference Championships this past spring, shooting a 629 (429-200). Ashford won the crown at 565 (376-189), while Grand View (384-183–567) and Viterbo (384-186–570) were also right in the mix.
“In my mind, this weekend showcased the three strongest teams in our conference,” Lady Statesmen Head Coach Nik Rule said. “We came in and raised some eyebrows by our performance and because of that we have gained a lot of respect. It was just a year ago that our program would not have been able to compete at that high of a level, but after this weekend everyone knows we are here to stay.”
“We played well enough after day one to give ourselves a legitimate shot at winning the tournament,” Rule added. “Unfortunately, our front nine put us out of contention and even dropped us to third place. Yet, our girls fought back when they easily could have rolled over and made up the deficit to regain sole possession of second place from Grand View. That is just the testament to the culture of this team–when we are down, we are never out and I am proud of the way this team fought back on our final nine holes.”
Next: The Lady Statesmen will find out how they stack up to national competition as they travel to Greeneville, Tenn., on October 3-4 to compete in the NAIA Preview hosted by Tennessee Wesleyan. Both rounds will be contested at Link Hills Country Club, the host site of next spring’s NAIA National Championships.
