Nicole Robinson

Coaching by committee is not the ideal way to put together a championship team, but that did not stop the women’s golf team from finishing first for the second straight year at the WIAC Championships this past weekend.

The Blugolds’ head coach, John Rawdon, resigned after the season-opening Labor Day weekend tournament. From then on, the team was accompanied to tournaments and coached by a number of different people.

“It was a struggle in the beginning, but we really came together as a team,” senior Maggie

Loney said.

Sophomore Meghan Sobotta echoed Loney’s feelings on the importance of the team coming together.

“We’ve all kind of come together the last two weeks,” Sobotta said. “We need to keep trying to come together and try to get to Nationals.”

The Blugolds fall season is now complete, so their quest for Nationals will begin again in the spring. The Blugolds’ stiffest competition will come from UW-Oshkosh junior Jesse

Thompson said.

Loney led the Blugolds with a first-place finish. She carded an even par 144, the lowest score ever for an individual medalist at the WIAC Championships. Her nearest competitor, UW-Platteville’s Ahna Hendrickson, shot a 154.

This was the second straight year Loney finished at the top of the championship standings.

Loney said she was confident in her game going into the tournament.

“I knew I’d worked hard all season, so I pretty much just went out there,” she said. “My goal was to win.”

Not only did she win, but Loney’s first-day score of 71 also set a new women’s course record at Nemadji Golf Course in Superior.

As a team, the Blugolds shot a two-day total 628. This sets a new WIAC record, smashing the old record held by the 2004 UW-Eau Claire squad by 41 strokes.

The back-to-back win for the Blugolds is only the second time this has been accomplished. UW-Oshkosh won back-to-back championships in the 2002-2003 seasons.

Tying for second place as a team was UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater, both shooting a 665, 37 strokes behind the Blugolds.

“It was our goal to go out and beat Oshkosh,” Loney said. “It was a major accomplishment.”

The Titans had finished ahead of the Blugolds in four of the previous five tournaments during which they faced one another.

UW-Eau Claire also had two other golfers place in the top four. Thompson and Sobotta tied for third place, shooting a 157. Junior Kim Huber shot 170, good for 16th place. In 29th place was sophomore Mandy Madson, who carded 186. Junior Sarah Hansen tied for 30th with 187. Rounding out the Blugolds was junior Noelle Weber in 36th, shooting 196, and freshman Becky Washleski in 39th place, shooting 202.

Thompson said during the first day of competition, her driving was key, and putting was important throughout the competition. But she points to her teammates for the real reason for her success.

“From a mental standpoint, everybody helped out,” Thompson said. “It really was a help to have (my teammates) just there to talk to.”

“Together as a team, we have a lot of chemistry,” she said. “Golf is so individual, and in the end, it is so team, since we have that team we have an advantage over other people.”