Meisch leads Oklahoma Christian to Hawks Creek Invitational title, OC men win Newman Fall Invite
FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 10, 2013) – Audrey Meisch showed much potential as a freshman on Oklahoma Christian’s women’s golf team last season. That potential now is starting to be fulfilled.
The sophomore from Andover, Kan., won medalist honors for the first time as a collegian on Tuesday, firing an even-par 72 in the season-opening Hawks Creek Invitational to finish at 144, good for a two-shot win over Jacqueline Strickland of Cameron at Hawks Creek Golf Club.
Meisch led OC, which posted a second-round team score of 301, to a second-place team finish. OC, Cameron and Incarnate Word (Texas) all tied at 598, but Cameron prevailed on the first playoff hole. It was OC’s 10th runner-up tournament finish in the program’s history.
Meisch is the third woman in OC golf history to win an individual title, joining Anna Arrese Cortadellas (who’s won five times) and Morgan Dockery. Her 72 matched the best round of her career – which she shot Monday – and allowed her to make up a two-shot deficit entering the round.
"Audrey played fantastic," OC coach Greg Lynn said. "We are so excited about the future of the program."
Two other OC golfers finished in the top 10. Freshman India Matthews overcame illness to shoot a 75 on the 6,043-yard layout, finishing tied for third at 148, while Arrese Cortadellas tied for eighth at 150 after shooting a 77. The junior from Barcelona kept alive her remarkable streak of never having finished outside the top 10 in any event.
Another freshman, Allison Sell, shot a 77 – a seven-stroke improvement over the first round – and finished tied for 26th in the 53-woman field at 161. Freshman Dana Todd fired an 83 and closed at 162, tied for 28th.
"Anna didn’t have her best today but still brought in a good score," Lynn said. "India played well despite being sick. Dana put in a good effort and Allison stepped up today and gave us a score when we had to have it."
OC rallies to Newman Fall Invite title
WICHITA, Kan. (Sept. 10, 2013) – Four Oklahoma Christian players finished in the top 10 and the Eagles rallied on the final day of the tournament to capture the season-opening Newman Fall Invitational at Reflection Ridge Golf Club.
OC posted a final-day team score of 289 to finish the two-round tournament at 582, two shots better than junior-college power Indian Hills (Iowa). Cameron was another five shots back, finishing third in the seven-team event at 589.
The Eagles, ranked No. 24 among NCAA Division II programs, entered the day trailing Indian Hills by three shots, but made up that gap with consistency throughout their lineup. Alasdair Dalgliesh shot a 3-under-par 69 on the 6,754-yard layout to tie for sixth at 145.
Sam Johnston (74) and Taylor Williams (72) also finished at 145, while Johnny Ellis (74) tied for ninth at 147.
OC’s No. 5 player, Trey Payne, shot a 75 to finish at 151, in 19th place in the 43-man field. Two other Eagles played as individuals, with Ryan Evans (74) finishing tied for 11th at 149 and Jackson Stuteville (77) finishing tied for 23rd at 153.
"It was great to start the year off with a come-from-behind win," OC coach David Lynn said. "I felt we showed a lot of maturity and played steady golf overall. We have a lot of things to work on. We made way too many mistakes. As a team we made 36 birdies to shoot 6-over for two rounds. That’s not efficient golf. But I am encouraged by what I saw and look forward to the rest of the semester."
The team tournament win was the 55th in OC golf history and extends to 16 academic years the Eagles’ streak of having won at least one tournament title.
The Eagles will return to action next Monday and Tuesday in the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invitational, hosted by West Texas A&M at the Tascosa Golf Club in Amarillo, Texas.