Above photo provided by the UMHB Athletics Department
GLADEWATER,Texas- Neither the UMHB men’s or women’s golf team had trouble defending its day one lead over the final 18 holes of action at the Tempest Intercollegiate on Tuesday, as both earned dominant, 10-plus stroke wins.
It marked the third victory of the fall slate for the Crusader men, who were led by freshman Harrison Jaeger, the individual title winner. Jaeger shot a 72 on the final round of the tournament, finishing at even par, 216, following scores of 71 and 73 on Monday.
Jaeger entered Tuesday’s action tied for fifth at even par, but emerged with the win following three birdies on the back nine. The Austin native bogeyed on the final three holes of the front nine, but began the back nine with his second birdie on hole 10. Cal Lutheran’s Jot Singh, who held the lead after the first two rounds, dropped to second with bogeys on three of the final five holes, along with a double-bogey on hole 15. While both shot a +3 on the front nine, what allowed Jaeger to overtake the lead was a -3 on the back nine, while Singh posted a +2.
William Sammons was also critical in UMHB’s success, posting a 218 (+2) over three rounds, finishing tied for third. Senior Kayden Treybig was the third Crusader representing the team in the top 10, finishing seventh with a 221 (+5) and a +2 on Tuesday.
The Cru posted a score of 301 in round three to finish the tournament at 878 (+14). It was 10 strokes ahead of Cal Lutheran, who gained just one stroke on UMHB during Tuesday’s action.
Cal Lutheran also finished second to UMHB on the women’s side, though the Crusaders won by a much larger margin of 37 strokes. The Cru shot a 305 in round two on Tuesday, finishing at 607 (+31) for the team’s first win of the fall season.
UMHB’s first two tournaments of the season featured competition against nationally-ranked teams, something that appeared to pay off on the course in Gladewater.
Sydney McConnell earned the individual title after a solid 70 (-2) on Monday. She posted a +2 in round two, though she triple-bogeyed on hole 18, which raised what had been a low score for much of the round.
McConnell got off to a phenomenal start on Monday morning, with an eagle on hole one. The sophomore added two birdies on the back nine to keep her in the lead after day one.
Sarah Kmiecik moved up one spot on the leaderboard, finishing second at 150 (+6). Lily Self (155, +11) tied for fourth and Avery Hill and Lexie Manriquez (158, +14) also represented the Cru in the top 10, tied for seventh.
The UMHB men return to the course in two weeks, competing at the University of Dallas Crusader Invitational on Oct. 18-19 in Thackerville, Oklahoma at Winstar Golf Club.
Up next for the UMHB women is the team’s second trip out-of-state this fall, as the Cru heads to Destin, Florida for the Golfweek D-III Fall Invitational at Baytowne Golf Club.
