This past weekend, Saint Mary’s competed at the Trine Spring Classic in Angola, Indiana, and placed second out of 13 teams.
Although the second day of competition was cancelled due to poor weather conditions, the Belles performed very well on Friday, finishing in second place with a team score of 336, trailing tournament-winner Hope by 14 strokes.
Juniors Ali Mahoney and Courtney Carlson, sophomore Kelsey Conkright and freshman Taylor Kehoe compiled the team score for the Belles, posting scores of nine-over 81, 12-over 84, 13-over 85 and 14-over 86, respectively. Senior Sammie Averill was the fifth scoring-eligible golfer for the Belles and turned in a 15-over 87, while sophomore Isabella Speedon competed individually and shot a 19-over 91. Belles head coach Kim Moore said she was proud of her team's performance and the overall outcome Friday against tough competition.
“I was very pleased by my team's performance the past weekend,” Moore said. “Just finishing, let alone placing 2nd, in the brutal conditions that we played in was a huge success.”
With one weekend tournament to go before Saint Mary’s competes in the MIAA's first NCAA automatic qualifier, Moore said she sees her team is playing well but also expects them to keep improving.
“My expectations for this team going forward is to only improve,” Moore said. “Now that we are able to get outside and practice on a consistent basis, I feel that our scores will get more consistent. I have very high expectations for this team going into our NCAA automatic qualifying tournament.”
Mahoney, by finishing tied for fifth, made the All-Tournament Team while compiling a round-best three birdies. Moore pointed to her performance but also to those of her teammates behind her, emphasizing the complete team performance the Belles had Friday.
“I felt that three players in particular really helped our team finish where we did — Ali Mahoney, … Courtney Carlson, who finished in the top 10, and Kelsey Conkright, who finished in the top 20,” Moore said. “It was really easy to lose focus that round, but I felt that all three of them really hung in there and played solid.”
The Belles return to the course next weekend when they travel to compete in the Illinois Wesleyan Spring Fling on Saturday and Sunday.
