BROOKINGS, S.D. - Concordia University defeated two-time defending NSIC Champion Upper Iowa by one stroke in the four round, 72 hole NSIC Championship that was concluded this afternoon at Brookings Country Club. Four Golden Bears finished in the top-11 in an impressive display of team balance for the new league champs. Sophomore Molly Noser (Rochester, Minn.) finished in a three way tie for third place, shooting +30 in the four rounds. The tournament consisted of two 18 hole rounds in the fall at Hillcrest Golf Club in St. Paul, Minn. with the spring portion featuring two 18 hole rounds at Brookings CC. FINAL RESULTS
It was Concordia's consistency that came through in the end as they shot a 313 in each of the final two rounds of play to hold off an Upper Iowa team that shot poorly in the second round during the fall portion of the championships.
The Golden Bears never put themselves in a hole, and proved that consistent golf leads to championships.
Concordia trailed by a stroke after the first 18 holes in the fall season, shooting a 322 while UIU and Winona State each shot a 321.
But the second round is where CU was able to shine, shooting a 329 to lead the field while opening up a 19 stroke lead on UIU and a narrower seven stroke edge over WSU.
WSU shot in the low 320's in each of the two rounds of spring championship play, not enough to overtake CU's back-to-back 313's. Meanwhile, Upper Iowa charged hard after the leading Golden Bears.
UIU fired a 303 and a 305, but the Peacocks fell short in the end, finishing a stroke back of Concordia for the championship.
Upper Iowa did feature the medalist, Rochelle Schmidt, who fired scores under 80 in all four rounds including back-to-back 75's in the final 36 holes. She finished with a 307, +19 over par. Winona State's Courtney Sovereign came in second at +28, two strokes ahead of Noser.
Rounding out CU's leaders were seniors Jacquelyn Hauser (Caledonia, Minn.) and Carley Paulseth (Moose Lake, Minn.) who tied for sixth with a 322 (+34). Sophomore Kaytie Spangler (Ely, Minn.) finished 11th with a 327 (+39).
Concordia received a huge boost for the final two rounds as they added junior Anne Martin (Ramsey, Minn.) to their tournament lineup card. Martin is a transfer from the University of Minnesota where she competed for the Golden Gophers. At the NSIC Championships, Martin fired scores under 80 in each round as she carded a 78 and 77.
The league championship puts Concordia in a solid position to receive an NCAA Central Region Tournament selection. The tournament field will be announced early this week. With CU holding the No. 2 ranking in the most recent NCAA Central Region rankings, the Golden Bears tournament title should only solidify their position in the rankings.
Concordia women's golf is seeking their first ever team NCAA appearance.
Stay logged on to www.cugoldenbears.com for updates this week!
