Men compete in GPAC Qualifier #3

The men’s golf team returned to the links this week by playing at Buena Vista over the weekend and in Lincoln, Neb., for the third GPAC Qualifier.
In Monday’s qualifier, Northwestern shot a 330, which was the seventh-best scorecard of the day. That round, combined with their other two qualifiers, put them in fifth place out of the 12 GPAC teams.
It was freshman Neil Malenke who led NW. He shot a 78, which tied him for eighth place. Freshman Ryan Kiewiet carded an 81 and sophomore Michael Dykema shot an 85. Freshman Kyle Stanek brought an 86 into the clubhouse and sophomore Michael Clark rounded out the scorecard with an 88.
Overall, Kiewiet is the highest Raider on the leaderboard, tying for seventh place.
Coach Aaron Aberson said, “The strength of our team is our depth. Ryan, Kyle and Neil have traded spots being our low player for our first three days of meets. I expect we may have others do the same as we finish up our spring season.”
Last weekend, NW traveled to the Buena Vista Invite to open their spring play. They placed sixth out of the huge field of 25 teams. The Raiders shot a 315 Friday and were tied for seventh place. The experience on the course was evident, as the Raiders carded a 308 on Saturday. The improvement gave NW sole possession of sixth place and a two-day score of 623.
Kiewiet led the charge again by shooting an eight over 152, which earned him eighth place. Malenke was hot on his heels with his 153 putting him in 18th place. Stanek recovered from an 81 on day one to finish with a 154. Dykema and Clark were also clustered together, earning a 164 and a 165, respectively.
Kiewiet reflected on what the team took from the last two tournaments, saying, “I don’t think anyone was happy with their play. We need to use the last two meets as a learning experience and practice and get better.”
The Raiders will return to action in Sioux City this Wednesday.