Plymouth, Ind. New coach. New school year. New attitude. And plenty of potential. All four came together this week as first-year head coach Chance Fry led the Aquinas men's and women's golf programs into their first combined tournament of the 2026-27 season at the Pretty Lake Intercollegiate. While the final standings were not where the Saints wanted them to be, both the men's and women's teams showed signs of what Fry hopes to build, saving their best team golf for the final round of the 54-hole event.

Women's Results

7th of 10 Teams

The Aquinas women finished seventh in the 10-team field at +162, posting rounds of +60, +57 and +45. The Saints improved each time through the course and finished with their best team round of the tournament, 15 strokes better relative to par than their opening 18.

Jayda Kerns provided consistency at the top of the AQ lineup, carding rounds of 84, 83 and 86. Ava Clark saved her best for the final round, following scores of 89 and 85 with a 79, the lowest round by an Aquinas woman during the tournament. Clark's closing round was 10 strokes better than her opening 18 and helped set the tone for AQ's best team performance of the tournament.

Zoey Quinn posted rounds of 85, 85 and 87, while Quinn Clement also finished with her best golf. Clement responded to rounds of 90 and 94 by firing an 82 over the final 18, a 12-stroke improvement from her second round. Ashlyn VanderBaan completed the Aquinas lineup with rounds of 91, 92 and 86, also producing her best score in the final round.

With Clark, Clement and VanderBaan all turning in their lowest scores of the tournament over the final 18, Aquinas closed at +45, 12 strokes better relative to par than its second round and 15 better than its opening round. The strong finish helped the Saints place seventh, ahead of IU Southeast, Midway's B team and Mount Vernon Nazarene.

Men's Results

10th of 10 Teams

The Aquinas men also demonstrated steady team improvement throughout the 54-hole tournament. The Saints finished 10th at +85, but lowered their team score relative to par in every round, moving from +32 to +28 before closing at +25. While the team placement was not what the Saints were looking for, the seven-stroke improvement from the opening round to the final 18 provided another positive sign as Fry's first season gets underway.

Austin Pitsch led the Maroon and White, finishing tied for 30th individually at +13. Pitsch opened with a 78, followed with a team-best 75 in the second round and closed with a 76. His three-round total of 229 was the best Aquinas individual performance of the tournament.

Freshman AJ Bishop finished tied for 39th at +19 after rounds of 79, 80 and 76, matching Pitsch for AQ's best final-round score. Benjamin Holloway recorded rounds of 79, 80 and 83 to finish 46th, while Andrew Kurowski put together one of the more encouraging progressions of the tournament for the Saints. Kurowski went from an opening 85 to an 81 in the second round before closing with a 78, improving seven strokes from his first round to his last.

Carsen Miller rounded out the Aquinas five with scores of 84, 81 and 85.

For both Aquinas programs, the final 18 provided perhaps the most encouraging takeaway from the season-opening event. The Saints may have left Pretty Lake wanting more from the final standings, but both teams were playing their best team golf at the end of 54 holes, giving Fry and the Maroon and White something tangible to take into a busy stretch of the fall schedule.

Saints Snapshots

• Saving Their Best: Both Aquinas teams recorded their best team round over the final 18 holes, with the women closing at +45 and the men at +25.
• Ten-Stroke Turnaround: Clark went from an opening-round 89 to a final-round 79, producing AQ's lowest women's round of the tournament.
• Leading the Men: Pitsch never shot higher than 78 and finished tied for 30th at +13, highlighted by a second-round 75.
• Finishing Fast: Bishop closed with a 76, Kurowski completed an 85-81-78 progression, Clement finished with an 82 and VanderBaan closed with an 86.
• Better With Each Round: Both AQ teams improved their team score relative to par from Round 1 to Round 2 and again from Round 2 to Round 3, with the Saints collectively saving their best golf for the final 18.

Coach's Comments

"This was an incredibly talented tournament with great programs represented," Fry said. "We had a tough week and didn't get the results we wanted, but I'm proud of how the team kept a positive attitude and gave 100% effort throughout. They represented Aquinas with class."

Up Next

There is little downtime for the Maroon and White, as both Aquinas teams return to competition Friday, Sept. 18, at the Cleary Fall Invitational in Howell, Michigan. The Aquinas men will then make a quick turnaround and return to the course Monday, Sept. 21, at the Raider 36, while the women will next compete at the WHAC Preview Event on Sunday, Sept. 27, in Augusta, Michigan.

Be sure to check out AQSaints.com throughout the 2026-27 season for all the latest scores, stories, results and updates from across Aquinas Athletics.

It's a great day to be a Saint.