Surpassing the midway point of their fall campaigns, Stevenson’s men’s and women’s golf teams are mastering their skills to prepare for a repeat performance as Middle Atlantic Conference champions.
On October 5, the men’s golf team competed in the Hood College Fall Invitational in which they placed fourth overall with a score of 351. Head coach Chris Ramer described the invitational: “It was one of the most difficult courses I have ever seen… mountain after mountain and the fairways were narrow.”
Although happy with their overall performance, Ramer believes that his team is capable of better.
Freshman Matthew Shur stood out among the Mustangs, scoring an 86 and placing ninth overall.
The women’s team recently competed in the General’s Invitational held on October 4. Ramer evaluated the team’s performance: “It was a challenging tournament against top talent in the nation. I think as a team, we did well. Just think: we have only had the women’s team for five years and they are competing with top-20 teams in the nation.”
At their own Stevenson Invitational on Oct. 8, the women placed second out of the nine teams competing at Piney Branch Golf Club with a combined score of 349, just seven strokes behind the eventual winner, Gettysburg College. Freshman Julia Kline shot a 13-over par 84, tying her for third place.
At the General’s Invitational Oct. 3-4, the women competed against 12 teams, placing seventh. Senior Emily Haas led the Mustangs with a final two-day score of 173, placing her 35th among the competition.
Ramer attributes the recent successes of the teams to a seemingly unbreakable focus that allows them to block out distractions and errant shots. “Golf is largely a mental game,” he said. “We have the talent to beat anyone in the conference. We just need to increase our consistency.”
For the remainder of the season, Ramer was adamant that returning to the MAC Conference championship is the main goal. The women’s team has won the championship for the last two years, and the men’s team won it last year. Although the teams’ main focus right now is repeating as MAC champions, Ramer said, “I would love for us to win the national championship.”
Finishing strong on their fall campaigns, the Mustangs look to build on momentum for a powerful return as MAC champions. The next competition for the women’s team will be at the Eastern Invitational at Saint David’s Golf Club in Wayne, Pa., on Oct. 19. The men’s next competition will be at the F&M Fall Invitational on Oct 17.
