Spartan Men Place 6th at Jimmie Invite, Soydara 6th in Women's Event
M State finished sixth as a team at the Jimmie Invite at Jamestown Country Club on Monday and Tuesday, recording a team score of 986 over the 54-hole event. University of Jamestown won the event with a 914 and Dickinson State was second with a 958. Jackson Worner of Jamestown won medalist honors with a score of 222.
"I was very pleased with our team's performance,” said M State Head Coach Jason Retzlaff. “We were licking our wounds after a tough start to the season a few weeks back at Deacon's Lodge. With a lot of new players I think it took a round to get the nerves under control. We played much better and showed promise with our 54-hole performance the last two days. It's a tournament that always has tough competition as we were the only two year college. I was pleased to see improvement and also to post the 3rd best team score of the final round."
Freshman Braxton Kerstein led the Spartans with a 3-day total of 240, finishing 15th, individually. Leo Stepan was right behind Kerstein with a 241, finishing tied for sixteenth. Former Spartan All-American Grant Inniger, now competing with Valley City State, finished tenth overall with a 3-day total of 236. Mikey Vall (255), Joel Quam (257) and Ryker Stukenholtz (257) rounded out the team scoring for M State. Riley Stromlund shot a 281 competing as an individual.
"Braxton Kerstein played extremely well for us,” noted Coach Retzlaff. “He was striping the ball on Monday to lead us and then hung in there to post a solid score today. Leo Stepan has been our most consistent player to date and can really put up some birdies with 8 over the course of the tournament."
Braxton Kerstein teeing off on the 9th hole at Jamestown CC on Monday. (Photo by Jeff Haukos)
Ellia Soydara fired a 266 for the lady Spartans, taking sixth overall. Elly Lablanc of Dickinson State was the individual medalist with a 246.
“Ellia did a nice job playing a long golf course against a high level of competition,” stated Coach Retzlaff. “While she felt she left a few shots out there, it says something that she finished sixth overall out of a field of 22 in only her second college golf event. She is going to be fun to watch all season.”
The Spartans will next compete in the Spartan Invite on Sunday, September 18 and Monday, September 19 at Pebble Lake Golf Course in Fergus Falls.
