TJ Leverentz/Winonan
The Warriors made the trek up to Brainerd to compete in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championship last weekend. The women were looking to end the season on a strong note, while the men looked for some momentum to push them down the stretch.
The Warrior men entered play on Oct. 5 with second and third place finishes in both conference tournaments thus far, yet they were not one of the favorites to win the title.
“We like being under the radar,” said Warrior golfer Mike Wiebe. “It makes it easier to play, the team just seems loose.”
It was feast or famine for the Warriors on day one. Mitch Holm scored 78, Jake Olsonoski posted 76, and Tyler Schmude shot 78. Luke Bollant recorded an 87, and Alex Zeyen finished with an 86.
The Warriors shot a team total of 318, which put them in fifth place, 22 shots off the day one leader St. Cloud State, and four shots off fourth place University of Minnesota-Crookston.
As the sun rose on day two, the Warriors looked to make a push. “The guys knew they weren’t out of it,” Weibe said.
The Warriors improved on their day two score by seven shots, shooting a 311. Holm led the way, shooting a one over par 73. Olsonoski, who shot 77, followed. Bollant finished the tournament by shooting an 80, Schumde posted an 81, and Zeyen came in with an 82.
The Warriors made a significant jump on day two. Their 311 earned them a third place finish, which boosted them to fourth overall. Holm’s 73 helped him into the top ten as he took sixth place individual honors.
The men’s golf team will begin the UCM Heart of American Invite, in Warrensburg, Mo. Oct. 7-8.
The NSIC Championship was the last match on the 2013 schedule for the women, and according to head coach Julie Hennessey, their course would be a test.
“The course is a very difficult course and they set it up as fair as possible. There is water on 16 of the 18 holes and a lot of the water is right in play,” Hennessey said. “You had to carry the ball along ways to get over it, and since it was cold and wet, it was playing very hard.”
Not only did the Warriors have to battle the cold and wet conditions, they also faced a field that included two ranked teams.
The Warriors ended day one in ninth place shooting a team total of 370.
None of the Warrior golfers were able to break 90. Courtney Hagen posted the lowest score for Winona State, shooting a 91.
The weather didn’t change for day two, but the Warriors did. Kayta Hoffman bettered her day one score by 20 shots shooting an even par 72.
As a team the Warriors improved by 31 shots, shooting a team total of 339.
“The girls kept the ball in play more and for the most part stayed out of the hazards,” Hennessey said.
The 31-shot improvement helped the Warriors finish ninth, and Hoffman’s 20 improvements earned her a tie for sixth place.
“One of the best things about Katya’s performance on Sunday is that I feel that it should give the rest of the team the confidence that they can also play that well,” Hennessey said.
The Warriors will resume play in late April for the Spring NSIC Championship. As for the winter, the Warriors hope “to play a spring break tournament in Florida and two other tournaments in April,” Hennessey said.
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