Lecy medals in women’s Conference Championship, Schlicker awarded All-Conference
Sunday, October 05, 2008

Joseph Baer

Alexandria, Minn. – The Bethany women’s golf team took two individuals to the Conference Championship and both excelled, while Northwestern College took the team championship by 40 shots.

After 36 holes at the Alexandria Golf Club on Friday and Saturday, Bethany’s Abigail Lecy (Marshall, Minn./Marshall) and Northwestern’s Kristina Siemens were tied for first with a 187. A playoff for the individual championship followed. They replayed the first hole and Lecy found herself in the bunker. Siemens, who rolled her second shot right past the hole on the par four, was behind the green. With both of them looking to get up and down for par, Lecy came through the clutch by almost holing one out from the sand and tapping in for a par. Siemens didn’t fair as well with a bogey, and Lecy won the Championship.

Kelsey Schlicker (Lake City, Minn./Lincoln) also faired well at the meet for Bethany by finishing fifth and winning the last all-conference award. Other all-conference winners included the aforementioned Lecy and Siemens, along with Emma Schlosser of Minnesota-Morris who finished with a 193 and Jamee Bohlen of Northwestern College who holed out with a 196.

Northwestern won the team championship handily with a finishing score of 841. Second place Minnesota-Morris finished with a 881, while Presentation College just edged out Martin Luther College for third place with a 938 to the saints 940.

UMAC Golf Championships to tee off on Friday
Thursday, October 02, 2008

ST. PAUL (Oct. 2, 2008) – Alexandria Golf Club in Alexandria, Minn. awaits seven men’s teams and five women’s teams from Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) schools that will compete for their respective conference championship this Friday and Saturday.

Bethany Lutheran College’s men’s team has played their best golf as of late, scoring a 320 in their last two meets. Last year’s conference champions are led by Mitch Koepp, who has won medalist honors twice while finishing in the Top 5 in five of the team’s six events.

Crown College returns three players from the 2007 UMAC runner-up squad. Earning first and second place in two of their five meets this season, Crown is led by Josh Ottoson, who has posted three scores of 80 or less.

Northwestern College returns only two golfers from last year’s squad that took third place in the UMAC Championship. Team captain and two-time all-conference golfer Nick Olson has won medalist honors twice this season.

Freshman Ethan Wessel has given Martin Luther College a huge boost this year, as the Knights have won their last six meets. Wessel dominated the field in the Bethany Lutheran Invitational (Le Sueur Country Club) on Sept. 12, shooting even par (70) en route to being awarded medalist honors.

The University of Minnesota, Morris is looking to improve on their fifth place showing at last year’s UMAC Championship. David Katz has the team’s low round of the 2008, as he shot a 78 in the Bethany Lutheran Invitational. Katz, a freshman, has been a medalist once this year.

Four players on Presentation College’s roster have been the Saints’ clubhouse leader in one of the team’s six meets this season, making for a well-rounded squad. The downside for Head Coach Matt Sevareid is that Presentation’s best individual score in any meet this season was an 84.

For the first time, North Central University will be joining the UMAC men’s ranks as an associate member. The Rams are led by Dean Goodwin, who was voted as the league’s Men’s Golfer of the Week in September. North Central posted a year-low score of 345 at a dual meet with Concordia-St. Paul.

2008 will be the first year that the UMAC hosts a women’s golf conference championship. Not enough full teams have participated in the event in years past, making it an invitational-style tournament.

Northwestern’s women, who won the 2007 conference championship, are led by Jamee Bohlen and Kristina Siemens. Bohlen carded a 90-93-183 at last year’s UMAC finale, while Siemens, a freshman, won medalist honors in her last tournament with an 87.

Bethany Lutheran’s women have won two of their meets this year. Abigail Lecy, who claimed medalist honors in last year’s conference championship, has posted four Top 5 finishes in 2008. Kelsey Schlicker returns to the course after being the runner-up in last year’s tournament.

Ashley Watson and Emma Schlosser have paced Minnesota, Morris this year. Watsons’ season low is a 94 (UMAC Preview Tournament), while Schlosser came in with a 95 in the same tournament.

Presentation has placed in the Top 3 in four of the team’s meets this season. The Saints are led by Hannah Heidelberger, who has averaged 105 strokes per meet.

Martin Luther’s women’s team has only played in one meet as a complete squad in 2008. Amanda Selle carded a 102 in that meet, while Joanna Kramer finished with a 111.

Built in 1956, Alexandria Golf Club is a private golf course that features large trees, tight fairways and a thick rough. On Friday and Saturday, the men will be playing on a 6,504-yard course, while the women will play a full 5,800 yards.

Tee times for Friday’s action will begin at 11 a.m., while Saturday’s second rounds will begin at 10 a.m.

Lecy leads women's golf to victory at MLC invite
Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Free Press Writer

New Ulm, Minn.—Bethany’s Abbie Lecy (Marshall, Minn./Marshall) won medalist honors for the women in the Martin Luther Invitational, shooting a 94 and leading the Vikings to a victory in the three-team invite with a team score of 423. Northwestern came in second at 461 followed by Martin Luther at 463.

Rounding out Bethany’s scores were Kelsey Schlicker (Lake City, Minn./Lincoln) with 95, Jennifer Johnson (Waterville, Minn./ Waterville-Elysian-Morristown) with 116, and Jackie Ausen (Alden, Minn./Alden –Conger) with 118.

The women’s next meet will be the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament in Alexandria, Minn., on Oct. 3.