Statesmen Record Top-Half Finish in Indiana

South Bend, Ind.--The William Penn women's golf team ventured east in search of a good competition and found it as it battled at the Battle at Blackthorn hosted by Bethel (Ind.) Monday and Tuesday.

WPU placed fourth out of 11 teams with a two-round score of 670 (332-338) at the par-72 Blackthorn Golf Club.  Host Bethel, which is No. 24 in the NAIA, won the event at 609 (312-297), while Grace (Ind.), a program receiving votes nationally, was second at 622.

Camille Short (Grace) (75-75--150) and Izzy Aigner (Bethel) (74-76--150) tied for first place in the 57-person field.

Gabriana Franco (Sr., Tracy, Calif., Exercise Science) again topped the navy and gold, tying for 11th at 160 (80-80).  After a tough first round and a half, the senior closed strong with a birdie and an eagle as she was two-under par over her final 11 holes of play.  She managed three total birdies and one eagle at the event.

"I am encouraged with Gabi's finish," Head Coach Darin Fisher said.  "She got off to a very poor start, but showed some mental toughness down the stretch.  Our younger players can learn from that."

Sarah Gutuza (So., Germiston, South Africa, Political Science) used steady play (no birdies at the tournament) to net a top-20 finish, tying for 19th at 167 (81-86).

Chloe Jacques (Fr., Chatham, Ontario, Political Science) was next, garnering a tie for 26th at 169 (87-82) as she managed three birdies over the two days of competition.

Mallary Johnson (Jr., Olds, Iowa, General Accounting), in a tie for 32nd at 174 (84-90), and Amelia Meador (Jr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Kinesiology), in a tie for 38th at 180 (89-91), also swung the sticks for William Penn in the Hoosier State.  Meador notched a pair of birdies.

"I thought we again played well at times," Fisher said.  "We got off to a good start and played right with the leaders on the first day, but we struggled to close the round, made some mental mistakes, and really struggled on the faster greens this course had.  Our mental mistakes seem to be a theme, and the staff and I need to help our athletes get over that hump."

"There were three solid teams here this week with Grace, Bethel, and Olivet Nazarene," Fisher added.  "I did think with a good showing we could compete with those teams.  Unfortunately, we have some maturing to do so that the rough spots in our rounds do not last so long and have such a big impact on scoring."

Next Up: William Penn is off until Monday and Tuesday, October 13-14 when it travels to Silvis, Ill. to host the Statesmen Invitational at the TPC Deere Run Golf Course.