Oklahoma Christian, NSU finish 2-3 in gale-force winds at Kickingbird
Photo: Freshman Shaley Goad led OC players competing as individuals in the Diffie Ford-Lincoln Invitational.
EDMOND, Okla. (March 6, 2018) – Overcoming chilly winds that gusted as high as 44 mph, Oklahoma Christian posted a second-place team finish in the Diffie Ford-Lincoln Invitational, which ended Tuesday at Kickingbird Golf Course.
The Lady Eagles’ team score of 314 gave them a final total of 628, allowing them to jump two spots into the runner-up position behind Henderson State (Ark.), which had a final team score of 622. Among the 14 teams that finished behind OC were two teams in the top 25 in the latest Golfstat.com Relative Rankings for NCAA Division II, No. 20 Central Oklahoma and No. 24 Southwestern Oklahoma State.
The second-place finish was the highest in OC’s seven tournaments during the 2017-18 academic year. The Lady Eagles placed third in a pair of fall-semester events.
OC’s Abigail Rigsby also moved up two places to finish as the individual runner-up, shooting a 5-over-par 75 to close at 149, two shots behind Imkeleen Meyer of Newman (Kan.). The second-place showing was the highest ever for the Rigsby, a sophomore from Courtenay, British Columbia, who now has 10 top-10 finishes in 19 career events.
Players had to contend with a northwest wind that consistently blew 20 mph and gusted as high as 44 mph during their rounds on the 5,821-yard course.
Two other OC players finished in the top 15 in the 95-woman field – juniors Elizabeth Freeman (11th) and Kate Goodwin (tied for 14th). Freeman shot a 77 and closed at 157, while Goodwin’s 80 put her at 159 for the tournament.
Sophomore Ashton Nemecek shot an 82 on Tuesday and tied for 26th at 163, with freshman Felicity Wittenberg another shot back, tied for 33rd after an 83.
Three Lady Eagles played as individuals. Freshman Shaley Goad finished the highest among that trio, tied for 45th at 168 after an 82. Senior Chaise Lucero shot a 91 and tied for 78th at 177, while freshman Taje Woods shot a 98 and tied for 91st at 195.
OC will return to action next Monday and Tuesday when they will play in the Midwestern State Invitational at Wichita Falls Country Club in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Northeastern State battled the high winds and tough course conditions to finish in third place. The RiverHawks shot a 636 (308-328) in the two round event.
Ebba Moberg was the team’s highest finisher with a 155 (73-82) and was tied for 5th overall; Lexi Armon was four strokes behind at 159 (79-80) tied for 15th place.
Halie Wright tied for 26th 163 (81-82), Kelsey Lumpkin tied for 33rd 164 (75-89) and Sumie Francois finished 41st 166 (82-84).
Northeastern State will be back on the course on April 9 at the Spring Central Region Preview at the RiverCut Golf Club in Springfield, Mo.
Southwestern Oklahoma State finished fifth after a second-round 325. Leading the way for SWOSU was Elin Wahlin, who tied for fifth after shooting rounds of 74-81. Gloria Choi was three shots back of her and tied for 12th while Emily Folsom (T-19) and Chloe Thackeray (T-26) shot the other scoring rounds for the Lady Dawgs on both days. Jenna Eidem was in the fifth spot and finished tied for 45th, one spot ahead of Tracy McGill who played as an individual.
SWOSU Women’s Golf returns to action on March 26-27 at the Barry Invitational in Miami, Florida.
Anna Pool shot a second straight 77 in tough conditions to finish fourth in the individual standings and lead Central Oklahoma to a sixth-place showing.
The Bronchos, making their first appearance of the spring season, shot a final-round 322 to finish the two-day, 36-hole tournament hosted by Southern Nazarene with a 640 total. Pool had a pair of birdies during her round and ended with a 154 total in coming in fourth for her best individual finish of the 2017-18 campaign.
Yuna Sato shot 80, while UCO also got an 82 from Sydney Roberts, an 83 from Marla Souvannasing and an 84 from Makena Mucciaccio. J.T. Neuzil had an 85 playing as an individual medalist.
“Anna played great in the tough conditions,” head coach Michael Bond said. “We had great preparation heading into the tournament, but we just didn’t score and dropped too many shots from 100 yards and in.”
The Bronchos, who have finished in the top six in all seven tournaments this year, return to action March 19-20 when they travel to Seaside, Calif. For the Otter Invitational.