The Gustavus Adolphus College Women’s Golf team started in second place after the first round of the Minnesota State University, Mankato Spring Invite that was played at Bunker Hills Golf Course. The Gusties scored a 320 in the first round, just four strokes behind meet leader, and host Minnesota State. St. Cloud State University was in third place with a score of 332.

“The team came out very relaxed and committed to their shots today,” Assistant Coach Randy Stuckey said. “It was nice to see us get out to a great start including going one under par on our first par three. We stayed focused throughout the round and finished with consistent scores. It will be a fun challenge for us tomorrow teeing up in the final group.”

The Gusties looked to catch the Mavericks the next day during the second round that was played at Bunker Hills.

The Gustavus Adolphus College women’s golf team finished in second place at the Minnesota State University, Mankato Spring Invitational that took place at Bunker Hills Golf Course on Saturday andSunday. The Gusties scored a total of 631, just five strokes behind first place Minnesota State.

“I was extremely pleased at the score we posted today,” said Stuckey. “It was because of a total commitment to our shots and wanting to finish strong. It was fun to see some great scoring today with our 311 and MSU-Mankato posting a 310. This should give our team some great confidence as we finish with two tournaments this spring. It was a great team effort and we’re looking forward to finishing our season with some great golf.”

The Gusties’ second round score of 311 was a season low, easily besting their previous low of 318. Sophomore Mckenzie Swenson led the Gusties again on day two by posting a score of 75, and Junior Mae Meierhenry was right there with her with a 75 as well. Swenson finished the meet in second place individually, while Meierhenry placed third. Senior Chloe Altmann, Sophomore Jessica Nelson, and First-year Ellie Brandt rounded out the Gustavus scoring, with Altmann duplicating her first round score of 81 on Sunday to finish in tenth place after a 162 total, and Nelson and Brandt not far behind with total scores of 163 and 164, respectively.

The Gusties returned to competition the following Saturday when they headed to Victoria, Minn. for the Bethel Invitational.

The Gusties looked to keep their recent hot streaks in tact this weekend, as the men head to St. Cloud and Monticello, Minn. for the Saint John’s University Spring Invitational, while the women traveled to Victoria, Minn. for the Bethel University Spring Invitational, placing third before the tournament was cancelled due to weather. The men will compete at Territory Golf Course on Saturday and Monticello Country Club Sunday, while the women play at Deer Run Country Club both days.

The women’s team most recently earned a second place finish at the Minnesota State University Spring Invite in Coon Rapids, Minn. that featured primarily Division II competition. The Gusties scored a total of 63, just five strokes behind first place Minnesota State, including a score of 311 in the tournament’s second round, which was a season low.

The Bethel Invite was been cancelled due to lightning and rain. Scores from Saturday are final.

“It was another tournament this spring that we played well as a team,” Assistant Coach Randy Stuckey said. “It just shows the importance of finishing every hole and every round because we never know when play will end. We are looking forward to continuing our good play next weekend as we finish our spring season.”

Meanwhile, the Gustie men are coming off their second consecutive meet championship after winning the Augsburg Spring Invite on April 9-10 and the Bobby Krig Invite April 17-18. In the Bobby Krig Invite, the Black and Gold entered the final day five strokes behind St. Thomas for the lead. Gustavus was able to claw its way back in a big way to eventually earn the meet championship with a final score of 873, six strokes ahead of second place Bethel University.