As the fall season comes to a close, Stevenson’s men’s and women’s golf teams are looking to continue their success in the spring season with a shot at the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championships.
Junior Morgan Wirtz shot a nine-over par 80 to win the individual title at the Hood College Golf Invitational held at the Maryland National Golf Club on Oct. 12. With each Stevenson golf member finishing in the top four, the Mustangs took the team title with a combined score of 332. The women’s team picked up another win after finishing three strokes ahead of second-place Millersville University at the Eastern Invitational held at Saint David’s Golf Club on Oct. 19.
The men’s team also added to the winnings on Oct. 17 at the Franklin and Marshall Fall Invitational held at the Bent Creek Country Club. Freshman Matthew Maione shot a personal best of 71. The team tied for fifth with a team score of 229.
In a recent Stevenson Villager article, head coach Chris Ramer said the team needed to increase their consistency going into the second half of the season.
“Both teams have done an outstanding job,” said Ramer. “They have held their averages and even brought them back down a bit.”
According to Ramer, the most satisfactory part of coaching is to have six men with an average under 80 and four women averaging under 90.
“The women’s team have knocked off 40 strokes average [from their combined score] compared to last year,” said Ramer. “It’s fantastic and don’t let anyone say otherwise.”
The players are now shifting their focus to the spring.
“We have three freshmen in the lineup and we were able to average 306,” said junior golfer Austin Fuglestad. “In the spring, we should be able to have one of Stevenson’s best seasons,” he added.
According to senior Emily Haas, going into the spring season will be exciting because the team has its best average yet.
“In the spring we hope to break our record, which is 332,” said Haas. “We shot 334 and 332 at our last two tournaments, so we’re really close.”
Ramer sees both teams finishing in the spring season with a shot at the MAC title and a spot in the NCAAs. If both teams make it to nationals, it will be the second year in a row that both Stevenson golf teams make it to that level of competition together.
“It’s not what we’ve done– it’s what we are going to do,” said Ramer.
In order for the team to stay sharp, they will continue to practice outdoors as long as the weather permits, before heading indoors. The Mustangs will make their return to the green in March of 2017.
