LINCOLN, Neb. – The conditions and the course layout in round two of the Kaitlyn Erickson Invite (hosted by Doane) yielded lower scoring across the board as the event wrapped up from Pioneers Golf Course in Lincoln, Neb., on Tuesday (April 15). Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Golf concluded the tournament in 11th place out of 14 groupings in a field heavy on GPAC competition. There were 86 total golfers that competed in at least one of the two rounds. Round one was held at Wilderness Ridge Golf Club in Lincoln.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad shot a two-round score of 379-349–728. Despite improving by 30 strokes in round two, the Bulldogs remained in the same placement they stood after round one.
Graduate Assistant Coach Drew D’Ercole oversaw the women’s team on Tuesday as Muller traveled with the men’s team for Wednesday’s Red Raider Invite. Said D’Ercole, “I thought we did a good job early with our focus after a rough going at it yesterday. We just made too many big numbers in the middle of the round to be able to make a move up the leaderboard. We have to spend the next week-and-a-half focused at practice so we can achieve our goals at the GPAC.”
The work of juniors Emery Custer and Maddie Lewis accounted for the majority of the team’s improvement from Monday to Tuesday. The Broken Bow, Neb., native Custer (89-80–169) carded a nine-over-par 80 at Pioneers and climbed four spots to 24th on the final individual leaderboard. Meanwhile, Lewis of Treynor, Iowa, shot 94-82–176 for the tournament while improving by 12 strokes in round two. Lewis placed in a tie for 38th. The highlights for Custer on Tuesday were birdies on 11 and 17.
The rest of the five-person Concordia lineup featured seniors Jennifer Gillotti (94-91–185; T-55th) and Sarah Wilson (102-96–198; T-73rd) and sophomore Emma McCoy (108-97–205; 78th). Another four Bulldogs competed as individuals. Freshman Savannah McFalls jumped into the tournament on Tuesday and shot an 88 while fellow freshman Audra Poffinbarger carded an 89 in round two. The 89 represented a career low for Poffinbarger, a Pearland, Texas, native.
Bulldogs at the Erickson Invite:
TEAM: 379-349–728 (+160); 11th place / 14
T24. Emery Custer: 89-80–169
T38. Maddie Lewis: 94-82–176
T55. Jennifer Gillotti: 94-91–185
T73. Sarah Wilson: 102-96–198
78. Emma McCoy: 108-97–205
T58. Audra Poffinbarger: 99-89–188
80. Makenzie Hughes: 109-98–207
82. Abigail Kollbaum: 104-109–213
NA. Savannah McFalls: NA-88
Custer and company defeated the likes of Hastings (12th), Nebraska Wesleyan (13th) and Peru State (14th) at the Erickson Invite. Bellevue University won the tournament by one stroke over Doane (646-647). Entering the tournament, Concordia was averaging a team score of 351.3.
The Bulldogs will have nearly two weeks now to prepare for the 2025 GPAC Women’s Golf Championships. The 54-hole championship tournament is scheduled to play out at Centura Hills Golf Club in Cairo, Neb., April 28-29. Concordia placed ninth in the conference last season.