The Trinity men’s and women’s golf teams both finished second place in the 2015 conference tournament. Next Monday and Tuesday, these teams will try to improve upon last year’s performance in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships at the Vaaler Creek Golf Club in Blanco, Texas.
On the men’s side, the no. 20 Tigers recently competed in the West Region Invitational at the Berry Creek Country Club.
Collectively, the Tigers shot a third-round score of 309 to total a three-round score of 929 at the par-72.
Junior Redmond Lyons led the Tigers with his tie for a 15th place finish. For his final round he shot par-72, the best score of all the Tiger players for the tournament. He wrapped up with a 227 total score on the weekend.
“Personally I feel pretty confident that we are one of the best teams in the conference, and I think if we can play smart we can have a really strong showing,” Lyons said.
Lyons was one of three Tiger golfers who finished in the top 30 for the individual standings. Fellow junior Travis Hindle scored a final round of 78, shooting an overall 231 for the tournament and tying for the no. 23 slot. The final Tiger in the top 30 was Trevor Warner who tied for 28th place after shooting 79 for a 232 total.
Looking ahead to the conference tournament, Lyons shared that his focus remains on putting himself in good positions around the sometimes challenging Vaaler golf course.
“We are maturing as a team and starting to understand how our individual strengths and weaknesses impact the overall team,” Lyons said.
Also notable for the Tigers was first year Jacob Hudson who shot an 82 for a 241 total and a 47th place finish. First year Will Street posted an 80 and shot 245 for the tournament, finishing in 53rd place.
Also heading into the final stretch of the spring season is the no. 24 Trinity women’s golf team. The Tigers recently shot a final-round score of 331 to claim fourth place at the DIII National Spring Preview last week.
In the spotlight for the Tigers was junior Hanna Niner, who was named last week’s SCAC Golfer of the Week.
Over the course of the two-day DIII National Spring Preview in Houston, Texas, Niner carded a 4-over-par 76.
In the second round, Niner improved her score by eight strokes, posting a 160 total score and claiming an eighth place finish overall.
“As a team, we are a lot more confident going into conference this year than in previous years because we made a strong showing in Houston,” Niner said.
Following Niner’s eighth place finish were Brigette Lee, Taylor Moser and Emilee Strausburg who all tied for 23rd place with matching scores of 168. Lee shot an 84 for the second straight round while Moser carded an 87 on the course.
Junior Shelby DeVore tied for 30th place after shooting 84 for a 170 total.
“We did not play as well as we would have liked to, but we placed well and beat some higher ranked teams. We have been working hard and we are ready to perform next week,” DeVore said.
Under Niner’s leadership, the Tigers finished fourth overall out of the thirteen teams who competed in the spring showcase. Five of six golfers clinched spots in the top 30 of the competition. Trinity was able to defeat no. 18 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor by one stroke to secure their fourth place spot.
The seventh-ranked University of Texas at Tyler won the tournament with a two-day score of 616, just ahead of the Tigers’ two-day score of 664.
This finish elevated the national ranking of the women’s team from no. 24 to no. 19 over the course of one week following this tournament.
With the conference tournament quickly approaching, both teams will look to conclude their spring season on a high note.
“This is what it all comes down to, and I feel that we are more than ready to take the win,” DeVore said.
For both sides, those individuals who qualify at the SCAC conference championship will then move on to the NCAA Division III Championships from May 10-13 in Rochester, New York.
