SAINT PETER, Minn. – The women’s golf team is set for the 2024 MIAC Championships this Saturday-Monday, Sept. 28-30 at the St. Cloud Country Club (par 72) in St. Cloud. The Gusties are scheduled to tee off at 10:45 a.m. Saturday. The pairings for Saturday’s opening round were created based on last year’s championship results. Pairings for Sunday and Monday will be determined by the previous day’s standings and scores.

GUSTIES IN THE MIAC CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Gusties have taken sixth at the last two consecutive MIAC Championships. The program owns four championships, with the most recent in 2010. Three of the four have come under the leadership of Head Coach Scott Moe ’95 (2004, 2009, and 2010). Four Gusties have claimed the MIAC individual title – Alicia Golembeski ’02 in 2001, Kelli Groff ’06 in 2004, and Katie Schenfeld ’11 in both 2009 and 2010. 

The team champion receives the MIAC’s automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division III Golf Championships, which will take place at Bay Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas. The Gusties’ last NCAA appearance was in 2012, and the team has finished as national runners-up three times in program history (2006, 2010, and 2011).

Last season, Annika Reierson ’24 was the highest Gustie finisher, posting a three-round 247 (+31). Zebroski was next for Gustavus, with an 81-81-93-155 (+39), finishing tied for 21st overall. Emily Kolb (Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Maren Masters (So., Shakopee) tied for 25th with a 257, while Jenna Piepkorn (Jr., Plymouth) finished 39th with a 275 in three rounds. 

ZEBROSKI LEADS THE WAY 

Riley Zebroski (So., Watertown, S.D.) has led the women’s golf team through each of its invites this season, finishing at least in the top 20 every weekend, including a trio of top 10 finishes and a third place finish at the UW-Eau Claire Georgianni Invite, where the team took second overall. During the team’s fall trip to Tennessee, Zebroski carded a pair of collegiate bests, posting a 73 (+1) for her best one round score and a 150 (+6) for her best 36-hole score. Round two in Tennessee saw four birdies from Zebroski to help her climb ten spots on the leaderboard.

LAST ACTION

The Gusties finished seventh of 12 teams at the annual Gustie D3 Classic last weekend in Hastings at Emerald Greens. Bethel won the tournament with a two-round score of 608 (+38). The Gusties shot a 650 in their home tournament, improving their round two score by 12 shots. In a mostly MIAC field, the Gusties defeated teams from St. Olaf, Bethel (B), St. Scholastica, and Concordia, as well as UW-Eau Claire.

Zebroski finished 12th with a 78-78-156, 12-over par. Lauren Hubbart (Jr., Hastings) finished next for the Gusties, tied for 19th with an 82-77-159. Hubbart carded a pair of birdies to move up 17 spots in the standings in round two. Maren Masters took 46th with a two-round 167, while Kenna Henriksen (Fy., Olivia) tied for 48th, one shot behind Masters with a 168. Emily Kolb rounded out the top five for the Gusties, tied for 52nd with a two-round 170. 

Individually, Jenna Piepkorn was the third-highest Gustie finisher, tying for 25th with an 83-78-161. Mary Kate Hewitt (So., Edina) finished tied for 55th with a 172, while Josie Raiche (So., Orono) shot a 181 on the weekend.

THE LINE-UP

Gustavus is scheduled to send the following five athletes to St. Cloud this weekend: 

Riley Zebroski – 79.5 avg.

Lauren Hubbart – 83.5 avg.

Maren Masters – 83.8 avg.

Kenna Henriksen – 87.5 avg.

Jenna Piepkorn – 86.6 avg.

THE FIELD

Two teams enter the championship weekend with national rankings, with St. Catherine is No. 9 and Carleton at No. 16, according to the Women’s Golf Coaches Association preseason poll. 

Twelve former MIAC Women’s Golf All-Championship Team honorees will be back on the course this weekend, including one from Macalester, three from Bethel, and four from both Carleton and St. Catherine. St. Catherine won last season’s MIAC title, with a 307-312-411, while Carleton’s Carter Sichol was the individual champion, and was later named the MIAC Women’s Golfer of the Year. 

Through the fall season, three athletes from St. Catherine lead the conference, as Kyra Venne is averaging a 73.0, 2023 MIAC Rookie of the Year Grace Petzold a 73.5, and Macey Martin a 74.5. Zebroski’s average is the highest for the Gusties, ranking 23rd overall. In eight rounds, the Gusties’ 333.4 average is sixth among conference schools, with the Wildcats leading the field (301.5).