Men’s and women’s golf fly like a birdie into top 25

We’ve got to win the first ever Carla Spenkoch Invitational. [/pullquote]Both Trinity men’s and women’s golf teams competed in their final invitationals of the year, and will head into the spring season ranked in the top 25. The men, ranked No. 14 in Division III, finished in a tie for fourth out of 24 teams in the Golfweek October Classic on Oct. 12-14. The women, ranked No. 16, ended their season tied for eighth at the Golfweek Fall Invitational also on Oct. 12-14.

The teams began their season in September, with the women participating in the Division III Fall Preview on the 13th, and the men playing in the Division III NCAA Preview on the 21st. The women finished ninth out of 15 teams, while the men placed 17th of 24 teams.

Head Women’s Golf Coach Shelby DeVore’s team rolled into the first competition of the season with three first-years in the lineup. With the fall preview featuring a high-caliber of competition, she understood there would be nerves.

“Usually I like to start with something a little smaller, so I knew we were going to be nervous and we were going to be rusty, but I was really happy with how we played,” DeVore said.

Both teams then took on the Inaugural Carla Spenkoch Invitational in San Antonio. Trinity renamed the event this year in honor of their former Women’s Golf Head Coach Carla Spenkoch, who held the position for over 20 years.

“That was [a win] I really wanted,” DeVore said. “With us changing the name in honor of my old coach it meant more. We’ve got to win the first ever Carla Spenkoch Invitational.”

The first rounds of the invitational did not go the Tigers’ way, as both the men’s and women’s teams were down by multiple strokes on the final day.

The women found themselves in a seesaw battle with the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor (UMHB), where the result was in doubt until the final golfers reported their scores.

“I was keeping track on my phone and then trying to find scores from the girls,” DeVore said. “I really didn’t think we had it. I was expecting a loss.”

DeVore was in for a surprise, as Trinity took first-place on the final hole of the day and won the Carla Spenkoch Invitational by one stroke over UMHB. Trinity’s lowest score came from first-year Mason Fickes, who finished second individually.

The men were also in for a tight finish. Despite being down by 11 strokes to LeTourneau University, they found themselves within striking distance towards the end.

“Most of the events in DIII college golf have live scoring, so we were all very aware of what was going on,” Head Men’s Golf Coach Sean Etheredge said.

When it was all said and done, Trinity tied LeTourneau on the final hole. The tiebreaker came down to the fifth golfer’s score on the final day. The fifth score is usually dropped, but this time it would decide the winner. In golf, of the five participants for each team, the four lowest scores on the day typically get added together.

Senior Neel Sandhu’s score broke the tiebreak, giving Trinity the victory. Senior Carter Code finished first individually in the tournament, followed closely by his teammate, sophomore Sam Rossi.

“I feel like we got a group that when we have chances to win, we can get it done,” Code said. “We close out tournaments like that.”

Both teams got the first-place finish in their only home invitational of the season, and they got to do it with the tournament’s namesake, Carla Spenkoch, in attendance.

“It was great to see them pull it off,” Etheredge said. “It was great to see the guys rise to the occasion, and of course it was even better to get the win for Carla.”

Both teams then participated in Golfweek, held in Destin, FL, and experienced the opposite performance at the Carla Spenkoch Invitational, turning in their highest scores on the final day. The men finished tied for fourth, while the women finished tied for eighth.

“That’s definitely our highest finish at that event. That event has been a challenge for us over the years, but it’s a little bittersweet because we had a one shot lead going into the final round,” Etheredge said. “We were in a great position going into the final round, but it doesn’t always work out like that. UMHB is definitely the real deal, and hats off to them. We don’t feel like we lost it. They definitely stepped up and won it.”

Both teams will take a break before conference play begins in the spring season. In their time off, players have the opportunity to improve their game for their first season in the Southern Athletic Association.

“They have a couple of months to actually focus on their swing, and a lot of them are going through swing changes,” DeVore said. “It’s hard to work on that during the season, so now they can focus on that.”

The spring schedule for both teams has not been announced yet, but has begun in late February in the past. Both teams will enter spring with a top 25 designation.