The Gustavus women’s golf team took part in its final warm-up opportunity before the MIAC Championships this weekend at the SMSU Mustang Invite held at the Marshall Golf Club in Marshall, Minn.
“Good finish,” said Head Coach Scott Moe. “We played pretty solid – just got beat by a couple of teams that played well. We are starting to get things together before the MIAC Championships, but we need a good week of practice.”
The Gusties shot a two-day total 626 (+50) to finish third at the 14-team event. Gustavus shot back-to-back 313’s on days one and two to finish behind Augustana and UW-Eau Claire. The Vikings won the tournament with a 299-303-602 (+26), while UW-Eau Claire finished runner-up with a 315-307-322 (+46).
The rookie combination of Sam Falk (Glenwood, Minn.) and Liz Strom (Fargo, N.D.) led the Gusties by finishing tied for seventh place after shooting a 10-over-par 154 over the weekend. Falk shot a 79 on day one and a 75 on day two, while Strom knocked followed up a 75 with a 79.
Taylor Drenttel (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) finished in the top-15 in 12th place, firing a 78-79-157 (+13). Rounding out the Gustavus starting lineup was Kayleigh Dittes (Eden Prairie, Minn.) in a tie for 18th (161, +17) and Ann Jackson (Fargo, N.D.) in a tie for 21st (163, +19).
Winning the tournament was UW-Eau Claire’s Catherine Wagner who shot a 74-70-144 to finish at even par. Augustana filled out the rest of the podium with Maggie Leland taking second at 145 (+1) and Emily Kvidera placing third at 148 (+4).
The Gustavus women’s golf team will make a run for its fourth straight MIAC Championship next weekend, Oct. 1-3. The Gusties will travel to Coon Rapids, Minn. for the MIAC Championships held at Bunker Hills Golf Course.