South Bend, IN – The Aquinas College women's and men's golf teams recently prepared for the upcoming WHAC Championships by competing at the 36-hole Pilot Invitational, hosted by Bethel College and played at Blackthorn Golf Club.
The women had another strong performance, finishing fourth out of 12 teams, while the men placed 11th.
The tournament was slated to be a two-day event, but both rounds were played on Friday to avoid expected poor weather the following day.
Women's Recap
Jayda Kerns' impressive spring season continued at the Pilot Invitational.
The junior standout opened with a stellar 5-over-par 75 and finished 13th overall after closing with 84.
Kerns recorded third birdies over 36 holes and had a 161 total.
Sophomore Ava Clark also finished among the top 20, tallying 166 for 18th place with rounds of 84 and 82.
Freshman Quinn Clement registered a pair of 84s for a 168 total and a 20th-place finish.
Junior Zoey Quinn and sophomore Ellie Christian each shot rounds of 89 and 87 to finish in a tie for 28th.
The women shot 334 in the first round and 337 in the final round.
Men's Recap
Senior Anthony Lalomia highlighted the men after a final-round 3-over-par 75.
He opened with 80 to finish in a tie for 24th with a 153 total.
Lalomia registered four birdies.
Junior Austin Pitsch had the second lowest round of the day with a 78 in the final round. He had a first-round 82 and ended with three birdies to finish in a tie for 44th.
Sophomore Andrew Kurowski had a pair of 81s, good enough for a tie for 47th.
Freshman Benjamin Holloway had a pair of 85s and a 170 total while recording three birdies.
Junior Carsen Miller had rounds of 87 and 86.
The men improved by nine strokes from their first round, shooting 319 after a 328.
Coach's Comments
Head Coach Matt Denhartigh: "The girls played well once again and now will have some time off to rest and prepare for the WHAC tournament after playing 90 holes this week. The scores for the guys weren't quite what we wanted, however, the event was great prep for the upcoming season finale."
Up Next
Both teams will conclude the spring season at the WHAC Championships. The tournaments will be held at The Players Club at Woodland Trails in Yorktown, Ind. The men will compete Sunday through Tuesday while the women will play the following week April 26-28.
NOTE: Dean Holzwarth, serving as the Senior AQSaints Athletics Reporter & Content Specialist for AQSaints.com, brings decades of journalistic precision and storytelling flair to the Saints' media efforts. Previously, he covered high school sports for ten years at Grand Rapids–based WOOD-TV, following a 16-year tenure in sports reporting with the Grand Rapids Press and MLive. His deep experience in capturing the heartbeat of local athletics now fuels his engaging coverage of Aquinas College sports.
