Warriors place seventh in NIACC Fall Invitational

By Aaron Schneider

FORT DODGE – The Waldorf University men’s golf team placed seventh in Monday’s NIACC Fall Invitational after closing out the 18-hole tournament with a team score of 321.

Seniors Thomas O’Rourke and Hugo Becerra tied for 20th as they each shot 79-stroke totals on the par-72 layout at the Fort Dodge Country Club. Waldorf senior Chad Hein tied for 28th with an 80 while competing as an individual.

Sophomore Zabdiel Flores tied for 31st after turning in an 81 and freshman Justin Pierce tied for 35th with an 82. Senior Austin Sommer tied for 58th, carding a 90.

“We’re doing well,” Waldorf coach Mark Clouse said. “I know we had some lower scores, but we have the potential to shoot a lot lower. I’m hoping that comes really soon.”

The Warriors faced tough junior-college competition which included three teams ranked in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll. Waldorf looks to provide depth top to bottom in order to compete with this caliber of competition.

“We’re getting consistent scores, but we need a couple of guys to step up and shoot in the low-to-mid-70s,” Clouse said.

Iowa Lakes Community College, ranked No. 13 in the NJCAA Division II poll, won the meet with a 305-stroke team total, No. 18 Iowa Central Community College’s Blue Team took second (310) while No. 10 Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) and Southwestern community College tied for third with 313-stroke finishes. Iowa Central’s White Team (316),) Northeast Community College (320), Waldorf (321), North Iowa Area Community College (336), Rochester Community and Technical College (336), Hawkeye Community College (339) and the Iowa Lakes Junior Varsity (343) completed the team standings.

DMACC’s Lemuel Marlow took the individual title after firing a 73.

Waldorf looks to retain the Purple Cup when it hosts NCAA Division III’s Iowa Wesleyan University on Saturday in a match-play event, starting at 11:30 a.m. at Forest City’s Bear Creek Golf Course.

“It’s a friendly rivalry, but we do want to win and keep it here at Waldorf for a longer period of time,” Clouse said.

The Warriors continue their weekend at home on Sunday when they host the Waldorf Invitational, scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

“We’re very familiar with Bear Creek and I think being at home, we’ll be really comfortable,” Clouse said. “I’m optimistic we’ll do well.”