Women’s Golf wrapped up their 2025 fall season after placing 8th overall in the three day American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) match Oct. 11 to Oct. 13 with Luther junior Annemarie Schloo (‘26) placing 4th individually and earning All-Conference honors. Playing 54 holes over the three day match, Schloo placed 4th of 42 players on day three, earning her first career All-Conference title.

Schloo began her golf career at Luther in 2023 as a first-year and this semester she has found success across the greens, hitting an average of 82.8 and earning A-R-C Athlete of the Week honors in September. This achievement comes after placing third in the Waldorf Fall Invitational alongside other top ten finishes from her teammates. Maci Doty (‘26) tied for seventh and Claire Bogenrief (‘29) placed ninth, allowing Luther Women’s Golf to place third overall.

Schloo is the first Luther women’s golf athlete to earn A-R-C All Conference honors since 2021, and this marks her first conference top ten finish. During the tournament, Schloo recalls the moment she learned from Rustad that she was on track to earn All Conference. 

“I remember Haakon came up to me on the 18th green and I [had] bogeyed it and I was mad and I was really frustrated because I didn’t want to bogey it,” Schloo said. “I wanted to shoot the same as I did the first day. And he comes up to me and goes ‘you’re in fourth’ and I was like ‘oh.’ I never expected to [place] that high.”

Part of what makes competitive golf unique is the duality between golf being an individual sport and a team sport. Interim Head Women’s Golf Coach and former men’s golf athlete Haakon Rustad (‘25) recognises this quality and has been implementing strategies in his coaching this semester. 

“Coaching golf is unique because it is both deeply individual and inherently team-based. When you’re competing in golf, it is you against the golf course,” Rustad said. “As a former player, I learned that confidence and composure are just as important as mechanics. I try to instill that mindset in my players to help them see that preparation and trust in their abilities will lead to consistency and success.”

Schloo noted that she has the team in mind when she plays during a match. “I’ve always played for the team,” she said, “That’s kind of the reason I stayed [on the team]. Each individual really matters in a golf team.”

Luther College Women’s Golf Team poses on a golf course. Photo Courtesy of the Luther College Women’s Golf Team.

Before coaching, Rustad earned four All Conference honors in his four years on the Luther Men’s golf team. Since graduating, Rustad brings his experiences as a player to his coaching and now finds success watching his team perform the best they can. 

“Watching Annemarie earn All-Conference honors was a proud moment, not just for her but for the entire team,” Rustad said. “Having been in that position as a player, I know how much work it takes and how rewarding it feels. Seeing her achieve that and knowing I had even a small part in supporting her journey was special to watch.”

As an elementary education major, Schloo will be student-teaching next semester with the goal of graduating at the end of the year. Despite finishing her last golf season at Luther, Schloo is optimistic about her future as a golfer and reassured that the team will remain successful. 

“There’s a lot of golf left to be play[ed] in my life. It doesn’t stop because I leave college, which I really appreciate about the sport. But in a competitive sense it is kind of sad to leave that and the support of our team,” Schloo said. “I have high hopes for the Luther Golf team. I’m very curious to see how they’ll grow both in golf [and] as a team in general.”