The Gannon University women’s golf team teed off its spring part of the schedule with a 13th-place finish Saturday and Sunday at the Northern Kentucky Invitational in Highland Heights, Ky.
But that might not be the biggest news facing the Knights. Coach Jason Willow has announced his resignation effective at the end of the season citing a desire to spend more time with his family. Willow has served as women’s coach for the past three years, and was interim men’s coach in 2010.
The Gannon women, who captured the 2011 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference team title in October, registered a two-day total of 663 at the par-72 Perry Park Golf Course. The University of Indianapolis took home first place Sunday, when its score of 597 bested Ashland University by 15 strokes. Sophomore Bhanisha Nagindas was Gannon’s top finisher when her nine-over-par score gave her 19th out of 120 golfers. Nagindas rebounded from a first-round 81 to card a 74 Sunday.
Willow said he wasn’t satisfied with the performance.
“Usually if one of our girls has a bad round, the other girls are able to pick them up, but that wasn’t the case this weekend,” he said.
The Knights will try to regroup this weekend, when they play the Ohio Dominican Invitational Saturday and Sunday. Gannon will then return to Erie, where it will compete in the Mercyhurst and Gannon invitationals. Willow said Gannon’s performance could affect its chances at making the Regional tournament at the end of April.
“We needed to do a lot in the tournament for region positioning, but unfortunately we took a devastating hit with this weekend,” Willow said. “I think we still have a decent chance of one or two individuals, but as far as a team, we have an uphill battle.”
