Throughout a season that saw a number of ups and downs, from placing 14th in their season opener to placing 1st at the Brittany Kelly Classic two weeks later, the Cardinals continued to climb. Closing out their season at the Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City, Ohio, Ball State’s young squad had a lot to prove.
After jockeying for position with Ohio and Butler throughout the competition’s second day, Ball State finished atop the 11-team field, one stroke ahead of the Bobcats and Bulldogs, in order to take home first place.
Ball State finished the competition in 7th after a strong opening day performance that was headlined by sophomores Jasmine Driscoll and Madelin Boyd, as the formerly two-day competition was cut short due to weather conditions.
With the motto “small school, big opportunities,” the Wes-Del Warriors continue to upgrade their athletics program by using a a four-phase plan.
“We just hung in there,” said head coach Mike Fleck. “There were challenges everywhere, and it was tough. We just battled, and that is probably what I’m most proud of the guys for—their mentality today when it got really tough again.”
Growing up in Ontario and moving to Muncie to play at the collegiate level is an experience three Ball State golfers share, and it's a bond that goes beyond the sport they traveled across the border to play.
Finishing the round with a score of 272 as a team, Ball State finished with its lowest scoring round since the 2005 Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational. Totaling 16 strokes under par, the Cardinals closed the competition with their best round ever, commensurate with an event’s total par count.
Despite sophomore Sarah Gallagher and freshman JJ Gregston counting quality scores throughout the three-day competition, Ball State was not able to battle out of the center of a highly contested 20-team field.
After a three-month hiatus from collegiate play, Ball State women's golf began the second half of its season in Litchfield Park, Arizona, finishing in third place at the BGSU Intercollegiate. The Cardinals will travel back to Arizona Feb. 23 for the Rio Verde Invitational hosted by Western Michigan University.
“It is exciting,” head coach Mike Fleck said after the Ball State men's golf win. “It's exactly the start I envisioned for this group.”
After living lives full of sport, these Ball State athletic to-be graduates are preparing to face a life without it. In the process, they’re battling the unknown and the loss of an identity.
The Everett Buick GMC Classic showcased a similar story for Ball State that has played out many times throughout the fall season. Like a nova, the Cardinals got hot between the first and second rounds as they quickly improved their collective score before fading out in the final round.
Ball State finished the Badger Invitational in 11th place out of 18 teams. Junior Kash Bellar finished 4th individually at the invite.
Agugliaro goes on to play at Prairie View Golf Course in Carmel, Indiana, for the state championship. The tournament will start Friday, Sept. 29, and end Saturday, Sept. 30. Tee times have not been announced.
In her freshman year with the Warriors girls’ golf team, she made headlines as she won the Middle-Eastern Conference (78), had the lowest nine-hole score in the county with a score of 33, and became the first Wes-Del golfer to win the Delaware County Tournament (76).
Below are highlights and results from the past week’s Delaware County sporting events that those on the Daily News Sports Team were unable to attend. Any results throughout the week not included were unable to be found or were not shared.
One thing was clear when speaking with Yorktown head coach Nathan McClung, he said he not only has a good group of golfers, but also a good group of kids. “This is one of the most enjoyable teams I've ever coached, and last year was too,” McClung said “But this group of guys, they're very different. But a lot of them are unique and some really special. They're phenomenal young men. So it's a privilege that they call me coach.” That group of kids ended up winning sectionals at the Hickory Hills Golf Club with a score of 321, led by the sectional individual champion, Christian Groves.
