Valpo Women Continue Play at Golfweek Program Challenge
The Valparaiso University women’s golf team continued action at the Golfweek Program Challenge from Caledonia G.C. in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Monday.
How It Happened
- As a team, Valpo shot 316 for the second straight day. The Crusaders sit in 13th place out of the 16 competing teams through 36 holes.
- Freshman Kayla Krueger (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake) led the way for the Crusaders on Monday, shooting a second-round 77 to finish the day at 155, tied for 36th place. Junior Katie Willenbrink (Mishawaka, Ind./Penn) was one stroke back of Krueger, carding a 78 for the second consecutive day.
- Senior Angie Kim (Schaumburg, Ill./Fremd) improved by two strokes over her first-round score, shooting a round of 80 on Monday.
- Sophomore Kylie Shoemake (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) posted a second-round 81, while freshman Tiffany Curtis (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) rounded out the Crusader team.
Inside the Round
- Krueger and Shoemake both recorded multiple birdies on Monday.
- Through two rounds, Krueger is one under par on the course’s four par-5s.
- If the Crusaders were to shoot a third consecutive round of 316, they would break by two shots their program record for team 54-hole tournament score, which currently sits at 950.
Next Up
The Crusaders will close out the Golfweek Program Challenge on Tuesday, as Curtis will be the first Valpo player to tee off, going off from hole 10 at 7:15 a.m. CT.
Webb Leads Way For Crusaders In Round Two of Golfweek Program Challenge
Valparaiso University men’s golf senior Peter Webb (Madison, Wis./James Madison Memorial) shot a round of 67 on Monday to lead the way for the Crusaders as they competed on the second of three days of action at the Golfweek Program Challenge from True Blue G.C. in Pawley’s Island, S.C.
How It Happened
- The Crusaders improved by 15 shots as a team over Sunday’s opening round, posting a team round of 286 on Monday. Valpo sits at 587 through 36 holes, good for 14th place and just 10 strokes back of 10th position.
- Webb carded four birdies in his first seven holes to jump-start his round on Monday, shooting a 31 on the back nine before coming home in 36 for his five-under total of 67. Webb’s total through two rounds is 141, good for a tie for 15th position.
- Junior Zach Cutler (O’Fallon, Mo./Timberland) continued his steady early-season play, shooting a second consecutive round of 70 to end the day in a tie for ninth place at 140.
- Junior Michael Doherty (Lisle, Ill./Naperville North) carded an even-par 72 on Monday and owns a two-round total of 147. Freshman Ross Lazar (Okemos, Mich./Okemos) shot a 77 on Monday, improving by five strokes over his first-round performance, while sophomore Mitchell Wittmann (Kaukauna, Wis./Kaukauna) shot an 81 on Monday.
Inside the Round
- The Crusaders’ team total of 286 was tied for the ninth-lowest round in program history.
- Webb shot his fourth career round of 67 or better as a Crusader, as Monday’s 67 ties for the fourth-lowest round in program history. Webb owns four of Valpo’s eight rounds of 67 or better and matched his career-low round at True Blue G.C., as he previously carded a 67 in this event as a freshman.
- Webb’s round of 67 on Monday tied for the second-best round in the tournament field, only bested by a 66 from Jacksonville’s David Wicks.
- Through two days, Valpo owns a 3.08 scoring average on par-3s as a team (+4), good for fifth among the 16-team field. Cutler is tied for the tournament low in par-3 scoring, as he has shot -3 on the course’s shortest holes so far this week.
Thoughts From Head Coach David Gring
“We needed a strong round out of the team today and a bounce back after yesterday's round. It was good to see the guys respond with two scores under par and our third at par. It's also good to see the improvement from one round to the next and we need to finish the tournament strong and improve today's team score again tomorrow.”
“While this is our seventh competitive round of the young season, we feel that we are capable of shooting these type of scores, especially with shots still left on the course and improvement in our fourth and fifth man scoring. The guys continue to play with determination and focus, with good shot decision making on the course today.”
“Peter, Zach, and Michael had sixteen birdies between the three of them today, with a lot of greens hit in regulation and some very good putting. It was fun to watch them knocking in some short and some 15-20 foot putts. We are looking forward to carrying some momentum into tomorrow's final round.”
Next Up
The Crusaders will close out the Golfweek Program Challenge on Tuesday, teeing off from the 10th hole beginning at 8 a.m. CT.
Schorsch, Emhardt Earn Preseason National Rankings
Valparaiso University men’s tennis seniors Jeffrey Schorsch (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) and Charlie Emhardt (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) will start the 2016-17 season ranked in the ITA preseason rankings for the second straight season, as the Crusaders’ lead doubles duo is ranked 55th nationally. In addition, Schorsch earned a spot on the ITA’s preseason singles rankings for a second consecutive year as well, opening the year ranked 111th among singles competitors.
Playing together the vast majority of the time over their first three seasons at Valpo, Emhardt and Schorsch have teamed up for a 78-13 record in doubles action as Crusaders, including a 15-1 mark in Horizon League play. The duo is far and away the two winningest players in program history in doubles action, both in total victories (Emhardt 86, Schorsch 82) and winning percentage (Emhardt .835, Schorsch .812), and combined hold the program’s top-six single-season win totals in doubles play.
Schorsch has been a standout in singles play for the Crusaders as well, posting an 84-21 record over his first three years at Valpo and setting the top-three single-season win totals in program history, including a school-record 29 victories last season. The two-time defending Horizon League Player of the Year enjoyed a strong summer, winning the Valparaiso Open and advancing through the qualifying draw of the Ursula Beck Pro Tennis Classic – his first-ever professional tournament – into the main draw, defeating ITA preseason #12 Konrad Zieba of Northwestern along the way.
In addition to the preseason rankings, Schorsch earned a spot in the singles qualifying draw for the 2016 Saint Francis Health System ITA Men's All-American Championships, while the team of Emhardt and Schorsch received a berth in the qualifying draw for the doubles tournament. Action for the qualifying draws begins Oct. 3 at Tulsa, with main draw play starting on Oct. 6.
