Final Results (PDF) | Day 1 Recap
DAKOTA DUNES, S.D. – There were aspirations of placing within the top two of the conference standings harbored by the 2025-26 Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Golf team. When the dust settled on Tuesday (April 28) from Dakota Dunes Country Club in Dakota Dunes, S.D., the Bulldogs landed at No. 4 at the 2026 GPAC Championships. The placement marked the highest conference finish for the program since it placed third in 2021. Individually, Savannah McFalls, Emery Custer and Maddie Lewis each placed in the top 15 of the conference leaderboard.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad shot 353-344-335–1,032 (+156) while navigating the challenging Dakota Dunes course. As part of a revamped tournament, all GPAC competitors played 27 holes on both days for a total of 54. Concordia started slower than hoped before rounding into form.
“The first round was a little bit disappointing, but I thought we did a nice job bouncing back,” Muller said. “Looking back on the season as a whole, we set multiple school records. We set the 18-hole school record multiple times and broke the 36-hole record a couple times as well. We also set the season team scoring average record for 18 holes. Overall, it was a good year. I’m proud of how the girls competed all year.”
The conditions were cool throughout the three rounds, but the wind settled down for day two at Dakota Dunes. The Bulldogs took advantage by shooting 335 (+43) in the final round, allowing them to hold off Briar Cliff (one stroke behind) and Hastings (five strokes behind) for fourth place. Concordia achieved that placement with balance throughout its lineup. The sophomore McFalls (Omaha, Neb.) finished strong in shooting 82 (+9) in round three. McFalls (87-86-82–255), Custer (85-86-85–256) and Lewis (89-85-82–256) wound up clustered within a stroke of each other. Lewis led the way with two birdies in the final round.
In putting the final touches on her collegiate playing career, Custer placed in the top 16 of the GPAC Championships for the third straight season. She led the team in 2025-26 with a season average of 80.9 and was the champion of the Siouxland Invite.
Said Muller of Custer, “It wasn’t the way Emery wanted to finish her playing career, but I’m very proud of her for the last four years. When you look at the Concordia GPAC era, she’s right up there with some of the best like Amy Ahlers, Kendra Placke and Murphy Sears. She’s right with them. It’s going to be tough losing her on the playing side, but I’m really excited about the value she can bring to our program as a graduate assistant.”
The Concordia lineup was rounded out at the GPAC Championships by freshmen Olivia James (92-87-86–265; T-31st) and Amelia Ptacnik (98-90-92–280; 41st). Both have bright futures along with McFalls. The Bulldogs expect to have the bulk of their lineup back for 2026-27. Though a senior academically, Lewis (Treynor, Iowa) has the option to return for one more season of eligibility.
As mentioned by Muller, the 2025-26 team has etched its name into the school record books. The school records it holds are for lowest 18-hole team score (320), lowest 36-hole tournament team score (336-322–658) and lowest single season average (335.9). The previous standard for lowest team average was 348.1 set by the 2020-21 team. The program record board can be viewed HERE.
Bulldogs at the 2026 GPAC Championships – Final Results
Par 73 | 5,724 yards
Team: 353-344-335–1,032 (+156) / 4th place
13. Savannah McFalls: 87-86-82–255
T14. Emery Custer: 85-86-85–256
T14. Maddie Lewis: 89-85-82–256
T31. Olivia James: 92-87-86–265
41. Amelia Ptacnik: 98-90-92–280