Women’s and Men’s Golf Teams Drive Full Force into Fall Season

by Elise Loomis

The Concordia men and women golfers head into their season with high goals and exceptional talent to match.

The women’s team broke the school record for the lowest team score at the College of Saint Mary Classic on Sept. 8-9 with a collective score of 335 on the second day.

“It was nice to come out with a bang,” sophomore Emma Jacoby said. “I’d like to see us improve in the GPAC standings this year. Last year we got up to second, but fell quite a few places. I’m hoping for us to be more consistent this year.”

Jacoby and junior Amy Ahlers hold the top two spots on the women’s team after the first two tournaments of the season.

Ahlers returns after placing runner-up in the GPAC and earning a GPAC All-Conference honor in the 2014-2015 season.

Ahlers came in first with a score of 75 in the Midland Invite on Aug. 31. She placed second in the two-day College of Saint Mary Classic tournament with an added score of 159.

“I feel that I got off to a much better start this fall,” Ahlers said. “I really need to tighten up the mental side of my game and trust in what I’ve got. If I can play my own game and focus only on what I need to do, I think good results will follow.”

Junior Reid Wiebe and sophomore Russell Otten lead the men’s team.

The men’s team goal is to be in the Top 3 in the GPAC and to break the school record by shooting under 300.

“The team has been playing well, and the top ten is very competitive, making it hard for the coaches to decide who goes to the tournaments,” Otten said.

The team traveled to Iowa on Sept. 10-11 for the Siouxland Invite. The team placed ninth out of 18 teams.

Wiebe broke both his career record and Concordia’s all-time lowest single round record with a score of 69 on the first day of the Siouxland Invite.

“I have many goals for this season. Since I didn’t get a win individually, that is definitely something I am going to strive for this year,” Wiebe said.

The women compete in the GPAC qualifying tournaments on Sept. 24 in North Sioux City, South Dakota and Oct. 5 in Hastings, Nebraska. The men play in the GPAC qualifiers on Sept. 28 and Oct.1 in Lincoln.