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Thursday, March 28, 2024
The Observer

SMC Golf: Saint Mary's finishes seventh

In a crowded 20-team field which featured eight top-25 teams from both the NAIA and NCAA Division III, Saint Mary's golfers finished the weekend's Washington University in St. Louis Spring Invitational in ninth place. After ending Saturday in seventh place, the Belles improved their second-day score by 17 strokes, but it still wasn't enough to keep up with the steep competition.
At the end of the weekend, William Woods won its second consecutive title with a two-day score of 623, and DePauw finished close behind, losing eight strokes. Starring for DePauw was the tournament's individual champion, junior Paige Gooch, who turned in a two-day score of 153. On Sunday, Gooch turned in a three-over-par.
For the Belles, sophomore Janice Heffernan produced the Belles' best performance after shooting a score of 164 over the weekend. With an 81 on Sunday, Heffernan finished in 24th place individually in a field of 112.
On Sunday, freshman Claire Boyle outdid Heffernan with a score of 80, a nine-stroke improvement from her Saturday school. Combined with her Saturday score, Boyle enjoyed a 169, which was good for 41st individually.
Also coming in 41st was junior Paige Pollack, who built on her outstanding performance at the George Fox Phoenix Invitational by scoring an 87 and an 82 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Pollack maintained her team-best average round score of 82.25, or roughly 10-over par.
Junior Alexi Brown had the Belle's highest score this weekend after shooting 175.
Absent this weekend was Saint Mary's captain, senior Jessica Kinnick. After a 181 on her first outing of the season, Kinnick has struggled to hit her stride in her final season for the Belles.
Up next, Saint Mary's will head to Saugatuck, Mich. for next Saturday's Dutch Spring Invitational at the Ravine Golf Club.
Contact Cole Schietinger at cschieti@nd.edu.