WIAC Championship Final Results |
WIAC Championship website
REEDSBURG (May 2, 2021) - During one of the three rounds of the 2021 WIAC Women's Golf Championship, presented by Culver's, each of the UW-Stout golfers scored a season-low score and that consistency - along with a strong third day performance - helped the Blue Devils to a third place finish at the conference meet at Reedsburg Country Club.
And the young Blue Devils - two sophomores and two freshman - had to overcome the added pressure of having only four players, knowing that each of their individual rounds would automatically be counted in the team scores. Stout was third after the first day, held onto the third place finish on a warm, windy second day, and played consistent golf on the third day to clinch the third place finish by five strokes over UW-Eau Claire. UW-Whitewater ran away with their fourth consecutive team title and UW-La Crosse finished second. Eau Claire was fourth, UW-Stevens Point fifth, UW-Platteville sixth, UW-Oshkosh sevens and UW-River Falls eighth.
Stout head coach
Andrew Delong said his team worked through the pressure of counting all four scores throughout the season.
"It was certainly a growing process," said Delong. "It's a log of stress knowing a tough day on the course can't be tossed out. As a group, each individual really did a great job of only focusing on the shot in front of her. As we go better and better on this throughout the season, the pressure seemed to affect each girl less and less."
Freshman
Abbey Filipiak, playing in her first WIAC Championship, saved her best for the final day of the tournament, scoring a collegiate-low 74 to finish fourth (78-85-74 - 237). Filipiak recorded three birdies in her final round, including one on the 18th and final hole of the tournament. On the back nine of the final day, Filipiak played even par, recording a single bogey, but evened that out by closing out with a birdie. For the three-day meet, Filipiak finished with five birdies. Filipiak came into the final day in 10th, but closed the gap to earn a medal.
Sophomore
Kendra Swanson and freshman
Sofia Morin tied for 17th. Swanson scored a season-low 83 on the first day, then bounced up to an 87 on the windy second day, and settled in with an 84 on third day to finish with a three-day score of 254. Morin opened the tournament with an 88, then was able to control her play on the breezy second day, scoring a collegiate-low 82. She finished with a third day score of 84 to finish in the three-way tie for 17th
Sophomore
Grace Warrner played in the 90s on the first two days, scoring a 94 on the opening day and scored a 98 on the second day and was in 46th place coming into the final day. Warrner took 10 strokes off her first day score and 14 from her second day score to record an 84 on the final day to finish at 276 and dropped eight places into a tie for 38th.
"We did a great job of bouncing back after yesterday's challenging weather day," Delong, who is in his first year as head coach of the Stout women's team, said. "The ladies played consistent, controlled golf today. It was great to see them all play a solid round."
It was a challenging year for the team, Delong said, but the team members helped each other through the unknowns of the year.
"Ultimately the key was the support of one another," Delong said. "We are very proud of how this support grew throughout the season."
Over the past 10 WIAC Championships (since 2011), the Blue Devils have finished in the top three 9 of 10 times and have had an individual place fifth or higher the last nine years.
