A perfect season, winning all but one match, stroke for stroke the best team in the conference. That’s the reality for Gannon University’s women’s golf team.
It started in early September with the win at the Mercyhurst Invitational and continued as junior Manuela Quevedo sunk her second hole-in-one.
The team took a dive as it placed sixth at the Findlay Bing-Beall Fall Classic but it bounced back and finished it up earning the title of PSAC champions over the weekend.
Last week, the women competed in the Bing-Beall Classic in preparation for the championships.
The team seemed off its game, placing sixth out of 15 teams. That’s a respectable placement, but not up to par for the Knights.
Despite missing the top-five, Gannon’s senior Diana Munoz placed fourth moving up one place from the first day of the classic. Quevedo placed 35th, sophomore Rebecca Red Horse placed 71st and freshman Carley Sawyer and sophomore Julia Santo tied for 41st out of 82 golfers.
Not five days later did the Knights take on their next and final match of the fall season, the PSAC Championships in Hershey, Pa.
According to Munoz, being able to go to Hershey was the perfect way to end the team’s season.“Since we started playing so well as the season progressed we all believed we could win PSACs so we started working with that as our goal,” Munoz said.
Given the outcome of their previous match, Gannon came out and played the way it knew how, placing first out of nine teams after day one. Munoz led the match individually and Quevedo followed her in second, Sawyer in sixth, Santo in 17th and Red Horse in 26th.
This was Quevedo’s best opening round of the season as she shot a 75. The next day looked bright for the Knights as long as they brought the same mentality and kept their foot on the gas.
And the ladies did just that as they captured the 2016 PSAC Championship with Munoz taking first individually and Quevedo recording her best PSAC finish to hold her spot at second.
Sawyer took 14th, Santo followed her in 15th and Red Horse earned 26th place.
However, the Knights still have some tournaments to look forward to in the spring.
“I hope we can keep up the good work and deliver great results then as well,” Munoz said.
This marks Gannon’s third women’s golf PSAC championship; the others came in 2011 and 2013.
Munoz is the second golfer in the program’s history to get an individual title. Amanda Teodorsson placed first in the 2011-12 season with Bhanisha Nagindas placing second.
The Knights concluded their fall season the best way they could and gave themselves a lot to look forward to in the spring season.
BRANDON JACES
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