The Milligan University golf team performed well at the Music City Invitational, hosted by Cumberland University Monday and Tuesday at Twelve Stones Golf Club. There was tough competition in Goodlettsville this week as eight of the top 25 programs in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) were present. Yet despite the tough opponents, the Milligan men finished in 11th place. Dane Rheinecker led the Buffs with a 22nd overall finish carding 78 and 75 to finish. He was followed by Ty Beasly and Jon Ligget, finishing 26 and 39. Samuel Prater also came in with a 52nd overall finish.
In grand fashion, the Lady Buffs took the first place overall finish. Additionally, Michaela Lindahl and Alayna Perryman achieved spots in the all-tournament team. The women’s team had a strong performance on day one that had them tied with their Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) conference rival, Truett McConnell, as both teams shared an eight-stroke lead over the rest of the competition. But as day two came around the Lady Buffs came out swinging and took a 16 stroke lead and the overall victory.
Head Coach Tony Wallingford described his attitude towards the women’s win saying, “I am really proud of the girls. They battled a challenging golf course against some top-flight competition. While we have a lot of work to do, it was a good early-season win.”
The exceptional result was led by outstanding performances from each member of the team. Lindahl and Perryman grabbed spots three and four and Meryl Castle came right behind in 6th. Jenny Simonsen, Nellie Berglund, and Izzy Griggs also placed inside the top 30 overall.
It was an outstanding win for the women’s team and a strong performance from the men as well. Both teams plan to build on this momentum in the coming weeks as the men will compete in the AAC Fall Championship on Monday and Tuesday and the women compete in the AAC Fall Championship Oct. 19-20.
Headline photo: Putting with ease. Photo from milliganbuffs.com.