Home Invitational Opens Titans' Women's Golf Season
The UW-Oshkosh women's golf team launches its 2019-20 season by hosting the Titan Fall Classic this weekend at the Oshkosh Country Club.
Competition in the 10-team, 36-hole tournament begins Saturday (Aug. 31) at 1 p.m. and continues Sunday (Sept. 1) at 8:30 a.m.
This year's Titan Fall Classic welcomes visiting golfers from Concordia University Wisconsin, Edgewood College, Lakeland University, Marian University, Mount Mary University, St. Norbert College, UW-La Crosse, UW-Platteville and UW-Stevens Point.
UW-Oshkosh defeated all nine of its opponents at last year's Titan Fall Classic by achieving record-breaking results for both 18 and 36 holes of the tournament.
The Titans established the event's 18-hole record with their 316 strokes on the first day of the tournament. Following 318 strokes on the second day of activity, UW-Oshkosh set the tournament's 36-hole record with its calculation of 634 strokes.
UW-Stout finished second to UW-Oshkosh in last year's team standings with 655 strokes. The Blue Devils were followed by third-place UW-River Falls with 712 strokes and fourth-place St. Norbert College with 715.
UW-Oshkosh swept the top two individual listings at last year's Titan Fall Classic as defending champion Hannah Braun placed first with 154 strokes. Braun compiled 77 strokes each 18-hole round and finished the tournament with three birdies and an event-leading 23 pars. Braun, a senior, is one of eight letter winners returning to this year's UW-Oshkosh team.
UW-Oshkosh's season-opening home tournament starts a string of five events leading up to the WIAC Championship.
The Titans leave Wisconsin for their next three tournaments – traveling to Waverly, Iowa, for the Wartburg College Invitational on Sept. 7-8; Hastings, Minn., for the Division III Classic on Sept. 14-15; and Prior Lake, Minn., for their first appearance at the St. Kate's Fall Invitational on Sept. 21-22.
UW-Oshkosh finished third among 16 teams at last year's Wartburg College Invitational and sixth among 13 squads at the Division III Classic. Braun placed seventh with 150 strokes at the Wartburg College Invitational and 17th with 159 at the Division III Classic to lead the Titans at both tournaments.
The Titans return to Wisconsin to compete at the UW-Stevens Point Mad Dawg Invitational on Sept. 28-29. UW-Oshkosh battled through temperature in the 40s on both days of competition to win last year's eight-team tournament with 327 strokes. Braun captured the individual title with 157 strokes.
UW-Oshkosh completes the fall portion of its 2019-20 schedule at the WIAC Championship on Oct. 4-6 in Reedsburg. The 54-hole tournament is being contested at the Reedsburg Country Club for the fourth consecutive year.
UW-Oshkosh finished third at last year's WIAC Championship with 960 strokes. UW-Whitewater tallied 942 strokes to win its second straight WIAC title while UW-Stout placed second with 954.
Rounding out last year's WIAC Championship standings were fourth-place UW-River Falls with 1,003 strokes, fifth-place UW-Eau Claire with 1,109, sixth-place UW-Stevens Point with 1,069, seventh-place UW-La Crosse with 1,081 and eighth-place UW-Platteville with 1,086.
Braun recorded just 74 strokes during the final round of last year's WIAC Championship to overcome a four-shot deficit and win the individual title with 228 strokes. Braun achieved her winning score with the help of four birdies and a championship-best 36 pars. She previously finished 10th at the league championship in 2017 and seventh in 2016.
UW-Oshkosh eighth-year head coach Liza Ruetten welcomes eight letter winners back to this year's team, including, Braun, Sophia Mazurek, Hanna Rebholz and Dianna Scheibe as seniors.
Other returning letter winners for the Titans are junior Claire Hamburg and sophomores Margherite Pettenuzzo, Erika Priebe and Mackenzie Retzlaff.
In addition to Braun's victory, UW-Oshkosh had Priebe finish seventh, Rebholz 19th, Pettenuzzo 26th, Scheibe 37th and Mazurek 44th at the 2018 WIAC Championship.
Newcomers to the Titans' roster this year are freshmen Lauryn Davis and Megan Footit and junior Nikki Differt. Differt is a transfer from UW-Washington County.
The spring portion of UW-Oshkosh's 2019-20 schedule begins in April.
UW-Oshkosh claimed WIAC titles during the 2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2015-16 seasons and qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship in the 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2015-16 campaigns.