Augsburg men, Carleton women make opening statements at MIAC Golf Championships

Posted: Oct 03, 2015

COON RAPIDS, Minn. -- The 2015 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Golf Championships teed off Saturday with a picture-perfect opening round at Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids, Minn. After 18 holes, the Augsburg College men lead with a collective score of just 4-over-par, and the defending champion Carleton College women have a four-shot lead after a solid start.

Individually, Carleton's Grace Gilmore entered the 2015 meet as the defending women's medalist, and she took her first step toward a second-straight individual MIAC title Saturday with a 4-over-par 76 to lead the women's field by two shots. There was also MIAC women's history Saturday as St. Thomas' Erin Dingmann recorded a hole-in-one on No. 6.

On the men's side, a pair of Augsburg teammates turned heads as freshman Dakota Krech dazzled with a 3-under-par 69, and teammate Brett Gaustad is just a shot back with a 2-under-par 70. St. Thomas' Pete Sienko also broke par Saturday with a 1-under 71.

AUGGIE MEN OPEN WITH OUTSTANDING TEAM, INDIVIDUAL PEROFRMANCES | Results | Photos |
Augsburg shot to the top of the leader board with a brilliant opening 18 holes. Led by its two under-par individuals, the Auggies carded a 4-over-par 292 to take a commanding nine-shot lead. St. Thomas shot a 301 to sit solidly in second, with Gustavus (304), defending champion Bethel (306), and Saint John's (310) rounding out the top five.

Augsburg's Dakota Krech shot a 3-under-par 69
Saturday to lead the MIAC men's field.
(Photo by Matt Higgins, MIAC)

Concordia shot a 316 to finish in sixth place after one day. St. Olaf is seventh with 321, Carleton is five shots behind the Oles at 326 and Macalester (331) and Saint Mary's (337) finished out the team standings after the Championships' opening 18 holes.

Krech's incredible round saw him start 1-over after two, but he went 4-under over the final 16 holes - including birdies on 16 and 17 to surge to the top of the leader board. The Auggie rookie is on pace to match the MIAC Men's Golf Championships individual scoring record of 9-under par (207), set by Gustavus' Alex Kolquist in 2012.

Gaustad started strong with three birides in the first six holes en route to his 70, and St. Thomas' Sienko birdied 17 to finish one-under and in the top three. Concordia's Cade Montplasir sits alone in fourth at 73 (+1), and Gustavus' Max Savini and St. Thomas' Jack Riester are tied for fifth at 2-over (74). There's a six-way tie for seventh place, with all six players shooting identical 4-over-par 76s on Day One. That group includes Bethel's Bennett Smed, Davis Tollette and Alex Case, Gustavus' Andrew Krasaway, Augsburg's Michael Barrette and Carleton's Ned Rohrbach.

GREAT START FOR WOMEN'S DEFENDING CHAMPIONS | Results | Photos |
Carleton made history a year ago with a record-setting performance in its first-ever championship. This year, the Knights began their title defense in strong fashion with a team total of 324 on day one to take a four-shot lead after 18 holes. St. Catherine and St. Thomas are also in title contention, as the Wildcats opened with a 328, and the Tommies are just a shot back in third at 329. Saint Benedict shot a 341 and Bethel carded a 343 to grab the final two spots in the top five.

Gustavus is just two shots behind the Royals in sixth with a total of 345. Concordia also broke 350 by a shot to slot in at No. 7. St. Olaf shot a 358 in eighth place, Augsburg is two shots behind the Oles in ninth with a 360, and Saint Mary's (362) and Macalester (367) completed the standings after the completion of the first 18 holes.

St. Thomas' Erin Dingmann picks up her hole-
in-one on Saturday at the MIAC Championships.
(Photo courtesy of Sara Evens, St. Thomas)

Gilmore turned in a tremendous, consistent round to grab the individual lead. She carded a 2-over-par 38 on both the front and the back to finish 4-over for the round, with two clutch birdies on the back nine. Gilmore is aiming to become just the fourth golfer in MIAC women's history to win back-to-back titles, and the first since Gustavus' Katie Schenfeld in 2009 and 2010.

Dingmann's historic hole-in-one was the shot of the day Saturday, as she aced hole No. 6, a 141-yard par three. It is believed to be the first hole-in-one in the history of the MIAC Women's Golf Championships. Her shot landed about 10 feet short of the pin and rolled straight into the cup. The big shot helped her finish even (36) on the front nine, and she carded a 42 on the back nine and trails Gimore by just a shot.

Two more Knights are next on the leader board, as Ayumi Sakamoto shot a 79 on day one to sit in third place, just a shot out of second. Ziyi Wang is another shot behind her teammate at 80 in fourth place. St. Catherine's Sydney Busker shot an 81 to join the top five, and a trio of players - Bethel's Christine Piwnica and St. Kate's Taylor Krouse and Abby Conzemius - each carded an 82 to share sixth place. Bethel's Abby Perrenoud, St. Thomas' Emily Thul and St. Catherine's Kaitlyn Alvarez each shot an 83 to create a three-way tie at ninth place as well.

ROUND TWO TEES OFF SUNDAY
The three-day, 54-hole MIAC Golf Championships continue Sunday at Bunker Hills with the men teeing off at 11 a.m. and the women's groups starting at 11:20 a.m. Monday's final round will tee off at 9 a.m. Spectators are welcome to attend and there is no admission fee, and spectators are encouraged to read and follow the tournament's spectator rules.

There will be a short awards ceremony following Monday's final round to honor the top teams and individuals. The championship team will receive the MIAC championship plaque, as well as the conference's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Division III Golf Championships. The top 10 individual finishers will be named to the All-Championship team, and will be automatically eligible for All-Conference honors in the spring.

Fans who can't make the trip to Coon Rapids can follow all the action on the MIAC Golf Championships web site, which will include unofficial hole-by-hole live scoring updates (Men - Women), results, pairings, tee times, recaps, photos and more. Fans can interact on social media throughout the tournament on the MIAC'sFacebook page, Instagram or on Twitter using the hashtag #MIACgolf. The MIAC's YouTube channel also includes a promotional video for the event.

2015 MIAC Golf Championships

Augsburg men, Carleton women make opening statements at MIAC Golf Championships

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