DWU women gain ground in GPAC with 2nd place at Qualifier No. 3
LINCOLN, Neb. – The Dakota Wesleyan University women’s golf team came into the third Great Plains Athletic Conference Qualifier needing to make up ground as the Tigers are chasing an eighth straight league title.
LINCOLN, Neb. – The Dakota Wesleyan University women's golf team came into the third Great Plains Athletic Conference Qualifier needing to make up ground as the Tigers are chasing an eighth straight league title.
The Tigers took second place in the 12-team field, while gaining nine strokes on leader Mount Marty College to enter the final round of the conference season one shot back on a crowded leaderboard. DWU shot a 330 as a team at Highlands Golf Course Wednesday in Lincoln, Neb.
Morningside College got back into the league race with a round leading 325 in the event hosted by Concordia University. Heading into the final round, just three strokes separate the top four teams. Mount Marty leads with a three-round total of 1,017, while the Tigers are one stroke back at 1,018. Nebraska Wesleyan University (1,019) and Morningside (1,020) are third and fourth, respectively.
DWU will have the home-course advantage in the final GPAC qualifier on May 2, as the rest of the league will come to Wild Oak Golf Course in Mitchell, S.D. With the addition of a 12th team this season, the GPAC will send two teams to the NAIA National Championships, while the individually winner also qualifies if the golfer is not a member of a team that is automatically invited.
The Tigers were led by a pair of seniors looking to close their careers with a fourth league title. Three-time GPAC Golfer-of-the-Year Lauren Fitts (Brookings, S.D.) continues to pace the league after carding an 81 to tie for fifth place. Fitts is on top of the individual leaderboard after three rounds with a total score of 232, 11 strokes better than her closest competition.
Senior Taylor Anshutz (Gregory, S.D.) also carded an 81 after posting a 37 on the front nine. The round was the best of the conference season for Anshutz helping the Tigers gain ground in the team race. Junior April Barnett (Lakeview, Texas) tied for 11th with an 83, while freshman Niki Nelson (Platte, S.D.) scored her best round of the GPAC season with an 85 to finish in a tie for 18th.
Midland's Allison Depko posted the best overall round of the day with a 78.
The Tigers are in action next at the Viking Classic Monday and Tuesday in Ankeny, Iowa.
Cumulative results at http://www.gpacsports.com/d/2015-16/GPAC%20WGolf%20Qualifier%20Overall%202015-2016.pdf
