SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - In their first NCAA Super Regional appearance in program history, the Concordia University women's golf team has advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championhips, taking second of nine teams at the NCAA Super Regional 3 at Westward Ho Country Club. The Golden Bears were paced by junior Anne Martin (Ramsey, Minn.) who took second in the 49 golfer field while senior Jacquelyn Hauser (Caledonia, Minn.) came in third. FULL RESULTS
Concordia, who was tied for the lead after 18 holes in the 54 hole, three round event, was consistent throughout, with all three rounds within seven strokes at 313+320+314=947. They were 83 strokes over par as a team over the entire tournament, 17 strokes behind regional champion Upper Iowa. The Golden Bears and Peacocks have been battling for the top spot all season with CU edging UIU in the NSIC Championship with UIU returning the favor at regionals.
Hauser tied for the low round in the field today with a 73, finishing one over par while Martin was right behind her with a +2 afternoon.
The two golfers were only separated by one stroke after 54 holes, Martin firing a 72+79+74=225 (+9) to Hauser's 74+79+73=226 (+10).
Hauser was outstanding early, rebounding from a first hole bogey to shoot four birdies on the front nine. Throw in a bogey on the fifth and Hauser was sitting at -2 after the front nine were in the books. She closed out her day with six pars and three bogeys on the back to post her career low round of 73.
Martin had a more low-key day but ended up posting a near identical score. She was even through nine with a bogey the fourth and a birdie on the ninth. She posted seven of nine pars on the back with bogeys on 14 and 18 to finish +2. The hole nine birdie snapped a 27 hole draught without a birdie. She had birdied five holes on the first day, with her last on hole 17 before failing to post a birdie in any of the 18 holes on round two. Her ability to shoot par throughout the tournament held her in second place ahead of Hauser.
Sophomore Kaytie Spangler (Ely, Minn.) was CU's third golfer to finish in the top-10, tying for seventh with a +22 performance over three days (82+74+82=238). Spangler's second round performance beat the rest of the field on that day and on day three she pulled off pars on 11 of 18 holes to remain in the top-10.
Sophomore Molly Noser (Rochester, Minn.) shot a consistent 43-42 on the third day to finish with an 85 to round out the day's scorecard, finishing one stroke better than senior Carley Paulseth (Moose Lake, Minn.) who shot a +14 on the third day after the two posted identical scores in the first two rounds.
Noser tied for 33rd while Paulseth tied for 35th.
Upper Iowa's Rochelle Schmidt took the regional title as medalist for the Peacocks, firing a +4 tournament total (69+76+75=220) to finish five strokes ahead of Martin. UIU place two in the top four with Rachael Schmidt taking fourth while Laura Taylor was in the seventh place tie with Spangler and one other.
The Golden Bears and Peacocks, along with third place Augustana will advance to the NCAA Division II National Championships in Findlay, Ohio from May 10-15. The three individuals who will move on are Leah Grozdanich of Minnesota State, Kalli Stanhope of Montana State-Billings and Jaymie Halvorson of Minnesota State.
Concordia women's golf does have prior experience at the DII Championships with Kelly Godwin making an individual run in the 2007 championships.
