By Adam Schabel
The Cleveland State University men’s and women’s golf teams both wrapped up their regular seasons during the weekend of April 13 through April 15.
On the men’s side, the team played one tournament in March. They placed sixth out of 11 teams at the South Florida Invitational at the Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club in Tampa, Florida.
The Vikings finished with a score of 934 over 54 holes at the tournament.
Joey Krecic led the team with a total score over three rounds of 227 which resulted in a 14th place finish for the senior. Over three rounds, Krecic made a team-best of seven birdies.
Anton Krecic tied for 18th place with a total score of 229 over three rounds. The junior made 15 pars in the final round and finished the tournament with a total of 36 pars. That was tied for the second most in the field.
“[At] University of South Florida (USF) we started to see some improvement and had some growth as a team,” Anton Krecic said. “The last round I was able to shoot well and it was a big confidence boost.”
Joey Krecic was one-under-par on the par-fives while Anton Krecic was even on the par-fives during the tournament.
Freshman Jules Blakely totaled a score of 239, which was good for 41st place. Senior Blake Prince shot a 242, which resulted in him tying for 49th place. Sophomore Zach Robbins finished 58th overall with a score of 250 for the Vikings.
Cleveland State lost momentum in their next tournament which took place on April 2 and 3 at the Seattle University Redhawk Invitational in University Place, Washington.
The Vikings finished in 15th place out of 17 teams at the tournament. The event took place at Chambers Bay, a par-71 course that was the site of the 2015 US Open.
Anton Krecic finished in 18th place with a score of 224, which was best on the team. Joey Krecic made a team-high of six birdies and finished with a total score of 227, which landed him tied for 33rd place.
Anton Krecic said he was disappointed with the way the team played in this tournament.
“I think we performed pretty average in Seattle. I think we were not totally prepared for those really challenging greens, and it showed,” Krecic said. “However, it was a good learning experience for us.”
Prince tied for 49th place with a total score of 231. He was also one of 13 players in the tournament to make an eagle.
Blakely and Robbins both shot a total score of 244 which resulted in them tying for 84th place.
Cleveland State played their last tournament of the season before the Horizon League Championship on April 14 and 15 at the Penn State Rutherford Intercollegiate.
The Vikings finished in 11th place with a final round score of 310 at the Blue Course in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Prince led the Vikings with a 42nd place finish and a total score of 224. Anton Krecic finished tied for 50th place as he shot a 226. Freshman Zak Supelak tied for 54th place, and Joey Krecic tied for 64th place.
“Penn State was very mixed,” Anton Krecic said. “I thought we learned how to play as a team and fight for each other even though we didn’t have the best performance.”
The Vikings are now headed to the Horizon League Championships which take place from April 22-24 at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida. The men’s team has won the last four Horizon League Championships.
“My confidence is high going into the conference [championships]. I see it as a great opportunity to defend our title, and I think our team plays better down there,” Anton Krecic said. “We trust each other and we all know how to fight for one another down at conference.”
On the women’s side, the team played one tournament in March. They finished in 11th place out of 12 teams at the Babs Steffens Hatter Collegiate at the DeBary Golf and Country Club in DeBary, Florida.
The Vikings shot a final round score of 330 at the par-72 course.
Freshman Madison Butler shot a total score of 236 over 54 holes. She tied for 18th place and was Cleveland State’s best finisher.
Freshman Ashley Knight finished in 46th place with a total score of 248. Freshman Amanda Baker tied for 47th place as she shot a 249.
Senior Sophie Kelner said she was not pleased with the way the team performed.
“The team had one of our worst performances at the Babs Steffens Hatter Collegiate,” Kelner said. “Although we didn’t play our best, we definitely learned a lot from the experience about preparation and course management.”
Cleveland State played better in their next tournament which took place on April 7 and 8 at the Dolores Black Falcon Invitational at Stone Ridge Golf Club in Bowling Green, Ohio.
The Vikings finished tied for 6th place out of 16 teams at the tournament.
Cleveland State shot a final round score of 311 at the par-72 course. The Vikings finished with a total score of 627, which resulted in them tying with Ball State. The Vikings were also the highest finishing Horizon League team at the tournament.
Kelner said she was happier with the way the team performed in this tournament.
“We played much better at the Dolores Black Falcon Invitational despite the weather being 20 degrees and extremely windy,” Kelner said. “We finished well in a tough field.”
Senior Emily Turski finished in the top-10 as she tied for 10th place with a total score of 152. Sophomore Kaylee Neumeister shot a 154 which landed her in 19th place and freshman Amanda Baker tied for 32nd with a total score of 159.
Cleveland State closed out their regular season by hosting the Sand Ridge Shootout on April 13 at Sand Ridge Golf Club in Chardon, Ohio.
The Vikings finished in 2nd place out of four teams with a total score of 309 at the par-72 course.
Turski and Neumeister tied for 5th place after both shot a 76. Knight tied for 8th place with a score of 77.
Cleveland State is headed to the Horizon League Championships which take place from April 22-24 at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida. The women’s team is looking to defend their title, as they won the Horizon League last year for the first time in program history.
Kelner is confident in her and the teams’ ability to perform well at the league championships.
“I am feeling confident heading to Florida because I have played this course for the last three seasons and know the layout very well. Additionally, my game feels solid, and I’m ready to score well at Mission Inn,” Kelner said. “The team feels confident, too. We have started to hit a stride the last few events, and we have a great game plan to play the course well.”
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