Tommie women set scoring record, Augsburg men continue surge at MIAC golf meet

Posted: Oct 04, 2015

COON RAPIDS, Minn. -- The second day of the 2015 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Golf Championships featured perfect weather and outstanding scores, with a majority of teams bettering their day one scores. The St. Thomas women turned in a record-setting performance with a MIAC Championships 18-hole record score (297) to surge into first place, and the Augsburg men followed up Saturday's sizzling score with another strong round Monday to take a 10-shot lead into the final day.

Individually, Carleton's Grace Gilmore took another step toward repeating as MIAC medalist with another outstanding round. The senior was just 2-over-par Sunday and takes a four-shot lead into Monday, with a pair of St. Thomas players - Erin Dingmann and Emily Thul - on her heels in second and third, respectively. In addition, the Tommies' Majra Sorensen matched the MIAC Women's Championship 18-hole scoring record with a 1-under-par 71 Sunday.

On the men's side, Concordia's Cade Montplaisir will take a one-shot lead into Monday's final round in the hunt for MIAC medalist honors, as he is the only player with a cumulative score under par (1-under 143) following 36 holes, with St. Thomas' Pete Sienko on his heels thanks to his even-par score of 144.

Carleton's Grace Gilmore takes a four-
shot lead into Monday's final round.
(Photo by Kelsey Whaley, MIAC)

RECORD SCORE LIFTS TOMMIE WOMEN TO TOP SPOT | Results | Photos |
St. Thomas entered Sunday in third place, five shots out of the lead, but after Sunday's record-setting round of 297, the Tommies now have a 36-hole total of 626 (second-best all-time) and will take a seven-shot lead into the final round. The team whose record UST broke - Carleton's final-round 299 a year ago - is in second place after shooting a 309 Sunday. The defending-champion Knights have a total of 633 after 36 holes. St. Thomas took 32 shots off its score from round one to round two, while Carleton shaved off 15 strokes.

St. Catherine carded a 320 Sunday - eight shots better than its first-round score - and is comfortably in the top three with a total of 648. Saint Benedict shot a 330 Sunday, also improving by 11 shots, and is alone in fourth with a total of 671. Bethel and Gustavus both showed improvement on day two, and the two are deadlocked in fifth place with identical totals of 679. The Gusties carded a 334 Sunday, which was 11 shots better than Saturday's score, and the Royals were seven shots better than Day One with a 336 in Round Two.

St. Olaf carded a 360 Sunday and moved ahead of Concordia by one shot - 718 to 719 - after the Cobbers turned in a 370 in round two. Saint Mary's improved on day two, shaving two shots off its first-round score to card a 359 (721 total) and move up a spot. Augsburg shot a 367 Sunday (727 total) and Saint Mary's had a 377 (744 total) to round out the final places in the standings.

Gilmore's quest for a second-straight title saw her card a 2-over-par 74 Sunday, and her two-day total of 150 has her in position to become just the fourth MIAC women's player to win back-to-back titles. Dingmann carded a 76 Sunday and is in second with a total of 154, and her teammate, Thul, shot a 73 Sunday to jump six spots into third with a total score of 156. Carleton's Ziyi Wang carded a 77 Sunday and is in fourth at 157, and Saint Benedict's Natalie Amundson (74 Sunday) and Carleton's Ayumi Sakamoto (79 Sunday) are tied for fifth at 158.

St. Catherine's Abby Conzemius shaved four strokes off her day-one score with a 78 Sunday, and a total of 160 to sit in seventh place. St. Thomas' Sorensen used her record-tying 71 to move into a tie for eighth at 161. Fellow Tommie Rachel Morris had a 77 Sunday to match her at 161, and St. Catherine's Sydney Busker joined that duo in a three-way tie for eighth.

AUGGIES, CONCORDIA'S MONTPLAISIR TAKE LEADS INTO FINAL ROUND | Results | Photos |
The Auggies broke 300 for the second-straight day with a 298 Sunday, and their two-day total of 590 is good for a 10-shot lead heading into Monday's final round. Augsburg is seeking its second MIAC title, and first since 1995. St. Thomas nearly matched the Auggies' score Sunday with a 299, and the Tommies have an even 600 in second after two rounds. Gustavus shot a 301 Sunday and leads Bethel (300 Sunday) by a single shot for third place, 605 to 606.

Saint John's Sam Olson celebrates with Head Coach Bob
Alpers after sinking a shot from the sand trap on No. 9.
(Photo by Matt Higgins, MIAC)

Saint John's shot a 301 Sunday - nine shots better than Saturday's total - and sits in fifth place with a two-day total of 611. Concordia shaved 11 shots of its Saturday score with a 305 Sunday, for a 36-hole cumulative score of 621 and a spot in sixth place.

Both the Northfield teams showed big improvement as St. Olaf was 10 shots better Sunday (311, 632 total) and Carleton shaved nine strokes off its day one score to card a 317 Sunday (643 total). Macalester (329 Sunday, 660 total) also took two shots off its Saturday score, and Saint Mary's (332 Sunday, 669 total) also improved by five shots to complete the team standings following 36 holes.

Concordia's Montplaisir was 2-under-par Sunday (70) to move into the individual lead by a shot. After 36 holes, he's at 1-under-par (143) for the tournament and leads St. Thomas' Pete Sienko (71-73=144) by a single stroke. Augsburg's Michael Barrette matched Montplaisir with a 70 Sunday, and shares third place with teammate Brett Gaustad (76 Sunday) with two-day totals of 146.

Gustavus' Max Savini has been consistent (74-75) and is alone in fifth at 149. Saint John's Sam Olson carded a 1-under-par 71 Sunday and is part of a five-way tie for sixth place at 150. Bethel's Dillon John is also tied for sixth after an even-par round Sunday, and Bethel's Bennett Smed, Gustavus' Andrew Krasaway and Augsburg's Dakota Krech are also part of the six-way tie at 150.

MIAC CHAMPIONSHIPS CONCLUDE MONDAY
The three-day, 54-hole MIAC Golf Championships will conclude Monday with a thrilling final 18 holes. Both the men and women will begin teeing off Monday 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's Facebook 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

Tommie women set scoring record, Augsburg men continue surge at MIAC golf meet

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