By Mia Gallagher · Sports Editor
The Grove City College golf program found renewed success last Saturday, Sept. 27 at the Franciscan University Invitational. With podium placements produced from both the men’s and women’s teams, their performance bodes well as the PAC fall championship looms ever closer.
Leading the way for the men’s team was sophomore Luke Gronbeck, whose 72-stroke finish allowed him to top the invitational’s 40-man field. This first-place finish helped propel the Wolverines to fifth overall with a score of 315.
“It felt nice to top the podium at Franciscan. I have been playing consistently all season, so it was nice to finally be able to put together a winning round,” Gronbeck said.
Joining Gronbeck in his efforts was junior Nathan Young, who shot 79 on the day to clinch 12th place. Young was followed by sophomore Seth Hartman and senior Jonah Kozora, who placed 22nd and 29th, respectively. Senior Cayden Testa secured a 38th-place finish and rounded out the Wolverines’ performance for the day.
“My teammates and I have put in a lot of work this fall, and I think it just shows how competing in practice together and playing matches against one another helps to get those competitive reps in,” Gronbeck said.
“We will continue to push each other in practice and try to make those rounds as competitive as possible. If we can continue to get a little bit better every day, we can be playing our best golf come October.”
Junior Lauren Kardos came away from Franciscan with a podium finish of her own as her 83-shot performance earned her third. The team would go on to secure fourth overall, tallying a team total of 331.
“I felt pretty good about my round overall. I played solid on the front nine coming in with a third of 39, but I definitely did not play my best on the back. I think everyone struggled a little bit more on the back nine. Of course, I always want to put together my best round, but it just did not come together this time, and that’s okay. I am happy with how we all competed. I think as a team, we will take what we learned with us into our home invite on Oct. 6,” Kardos said.
Following Kardos were classmates Sydney Goettel and Gabrielle Kinneer, who took 18th and 21st, respectively. Freshman Mackzenie Boley lent a 26th-place finish to the team’s total, while senior Rebekah Gaehring rounded out the lineup from 33rd place.
“I think the majority of our success will come from continuing to push each other both on and off the course. We have built so much confidence as a team this season, and I think that is huge for us going into the fall portion of PACs. Our culture has grown, and this is so exciting to see for the future of the program. I think if we stay focused on making putts and approaching the green with accuracy, we have a great chance of finishing top three,” Kardos said.
The Wolverines will return to action this Monday, Oct. 6. The men’s program will travel to Beallsville, Pa. for the Waynesburg University Invitational, while the women will host their annual Grove City Fall Invitational at Grove City Country Club. Both squads will then compete for the PAC title Oct. 13th and 14th in Warren, Ohio.
