COON RAPIDS, Minn. – For Saint Mary's University seniors
Tony Hynes (Lino Lakes, Minn.),
Rob Klein (Lake Bluff, Ill.),
Ryan Brodd (Woodbury, Minn.),
Katelyn Rizzi (Austin, Minn.) and
Brittney Nielsen (Apple Valley, Minn.), the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Golf Championships was their last conference hurrah.
And the Cardinals quintet made the most of it.
Hynes carded rounds of 76 and 77 through the first two days of the three-day, 54-hole conference championship, before settling for an 85 (238), while Klein rebounded from an opening-round 85 to record back-to-back rounds in the 70s – 79-76 – to finish at 240 in the twosome's final MIAC Championships. Brodd, meanwhile, chipped his best round of the tournament – and the season – with a final-round 81 to finish at 253 (85-87-81),
The trio led the way for the Cardinals, who turned in their best round of the tournament on Monday with a 326 to place 10th with a three-day total of 985.
Ethan Austin (Northbrook, Ill. / 85-94-84-263) and #D.J. Borgen# (Red Wing, Minn. / 94-85-88-267) rounded out the Cardinal men's lineup.
Rizzi led the way for the Cardinal women, recording rounds of 85-88-86-259 to lead the Cardinals to an eighth-place team finish with a three-day team total of 1107. Nielsen, meanwhile, literally saved her best for her last tournament, carding her lowest round of the season – and second-lowest of her collegiate career – in firing an opening-round 93, then followed that up with a closing-round 94 en route to her 288 three-day total.
Gia Puch (Des Plaines, Ill.) posted the Cardinals' best round of the tournament – and second lowest round in program history – with an opening-round 79, but had to settle for a second-round 89 and a final-round 97 in shooting 265 for the three days. Lauren Ulbrich (Rochester, Minn.) posted her best round of the season with a final-round 93 to finish at 303 (115-95-93), while Jenna Mrozinski (North St. Paul, Minn.) rounded out the lineup with a 325 total (107-110-108).
