In a busy semester marked by weather cancellations, the men’s and women’s golf teams are led by Coach Chris Ramer, in his 14th year, who believes that in order to reach their full potential, students must be pushed to their limits. He does this by putting his golfers against the best in the country.
On April 17, the men’s team tied with Dickinson College for fourth place out of 15 teams at the Gettysburg Invitational. Several of the golfers shaved between five to ten strokes off of their total score, and the Mustangs ended up 10 strokes off Gettysburg College’s lead.
At the Stevenson Spring Invitational on April 23, the Mustangs shot a combined 306 at the Piney Branch Golf Club, their home course, under the lead of sophomore Matthew Shur whose one-over par 72 gave him his first individual title. The win gives Stevenson two team titles in 2017-18.
“This is definitely a positive stepping stone in achieving what we want to accomplish, and that is getting back to nationals,” said Ramer about the performance of his golfers on the day.
“I feel as though with what happened that day we really got some momentum going for us in our favor, which is great with conference Invitationals coming up in a few weeks,” said Ramer.
The women’s team has four first-place April finishes, beginning with the MAC Preview Tournament, held on April 6 at the Hershey Country Club and hosted by Alvernia University. The Mustangs placed first out of the seven teams competing, with senior Morgan Wirtz placing second overall out of the tournament’s 44 golfers. Close behind Wirtz were sophomore Julia Kline (third, carding a 91) and freshman Laura Rentz who placed fourth with a 93.
The next day, the women placed first again at the McDaniel Spring Invitational. Wirtz finished tied for second overall as the Mustangs bested Gettysburg College by six strokes. The event, held at the Bridges Golf Club, gave the Mustangs their sixth team championship on the year.
As hosts of the Stevenson Spring Invitational at Piney Branch Golf Club, the Mustangs finished first out of the seven competitors, 18 strokes better than second-place Marymount University. Freshman Laura Rentz’s 11-over par 82 gave her a share of the individual title with Alexis Miller of Marymount. The win was Stevenson’s seventh of the season.
The Lady Dutchmen Spring Invitational on April 14 gave the Mustangs their fourth straight win as Wirtz won the tournament by seven strokes with a nine-over par 81. Rentz finished the day in second place with an 88 as the Mustangs won the tournament by 37 strokes over second-place Arcadia.
At the MAC championships April 21-22 held at the Hershey Country Club, the Mustangs placed third as a team. Alvernia won its second MAC Championship, with Stevenson 29 strokes back. Wirtz, who earned All-MAC Second Team honors, shot a 98 in her final collegiate round. Wirtz finished tied for sixth.
On April 28, the men’s team hope to secure the MAC Conference title as they play in the MAC Conference Invitational held at the Hershey Country Club. To see how the Mustangs perform, visit gomustangsports.com.
