WAYNE, Neb. – The team score settled in at exactly the same total in round two as Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Golf wrapped up the Wildcat Classic hosted by Wayne State College. The Bulldogs ultimately placed 11th out of 15 teams in a field mostly made up of NCAA Division II competition. Senior Emery Custer sharpened her game and shot a five-over-par 77 on a sunny and warm Tuesday (April 14) at Wayne Country Club in Wayne, Neb. The tournament featured 87 golfers.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad shot 327-327–654 for the tournament while outperforming its season average entering the event. The Wildcat Classic marked Concordia’s final outing prior to the GPAC Championships.
“Starting with yesterday, it was a little warmer and breezier than today,” Muller said. “It was a little cooler and the wind flipped to the north, so we played the course basically in two completely different setups with the wind direction. I’m really proud of Amelia (Ptacnik) and the step forward she took. She had gotten off to kind of a tough start this spring. It’s great to see her shoot a career low yesterday. We had a lot of scores in the 80s. Emery’s 77 today was great to see. Shooting 327 both days – those were our two lows for the spring.”
The Broken Bow, Neb., native Custer and her teammates faced their stiffest competition yet in a tournament won by the University of Nebraska-Kearney (coached by Bulldog alum Shawn Rodehorst). While shooting a 77 on Tuesday, Custer moved up eight spots into a tie for 29th (80-77–157) on the final individual leaderboard. She birdied hole 9 in round two. At the close of the regular season, Custer leads the team with a scoring average of 80.1 (17 total rounds).
Senior Maddie Lewis held down the No. 2 spot in the lineup and tied for 53rd (82-81–163). She was followed by teammates in sophomore Savannah McFalls (85-84–169; T-68th) and freshmen Amelia Ptacnik (80-89–169; T-68th) and Olivia James (85-85–170; 72nd). In round one, Ptacnik played even with Custer thanks to a career-low 80 (+8).
In the Wildcat Classic team standings, Concordia placed in front of Bemidji State (686), Minnesota-Moorhead (693) and Mary (S.D.) (706). UNK earned the tournament title with a cumulative score of 602.
Said Muller, “It was a very strong field. I think we stepped up our game to compete with some of those schools. It was nice to play with some players we don’t get to see all the time.”
As the Wildcat Classic took place in Wayne, the Bulldogs had a second group in action at the Kaitlyn Erickson Invite (April 13-14) hosted by Doane. The field included Concordia’s Makenzie Hughes (93-84–177), Kaylee Carlson (97-89–186), Emma McCoy (96-93–189), Brielle Cook (95-97–192) and Abigail Kollbaum (98-99–197). The event was staged in Lincoln at Wilderness Ridge Country Club and Pioneers Golf Course. Full results from the Erickson Invite can be found HERE.
Bulldogs at the Wildcat Classic – Final Results
TEAM: 327-327–654 (+78) / 11th place
T29. Emery Custer: 80-77–157
T53. Maddie Lewis: 82-81–163
T68. Savannah McFalls: 85-84–169
T68. Amelia Ptacnik: 80-89–169
72. Olivia James: 85-85–170
The 2026 GPAC Women’s Golf Championships will take place at Dakota Dunes Country Club in Dakota Dunes, S.D., April 27-28. The Bulldogs believe they are poised to improve upon last season’s conference placement of seventh. The GPAC women’s golf tournament last appeared at Dakota Dunes in October 2020.