St. Olaf Men’s and Women’s Golf ended their fall season in the top 10 of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Golf Championships. The two competitions took place on Sept. 27-29 for the men’s team at Edinburgh USA in Brooklyn Park, Minn., and Oct. 4-6 for the women’s team at Braemar Golf Course in Edina, Minn..
In Brooklyn Park, St. Olaf Men’s Golf finished fourth out of nine teams overall with a final score of 917 (+53). After shooting +34 in the first two days, the Oles fended off a day three Macalester surge to secure their best finish at the MIAC Championships since 2011. Ryan Herbst ’28 finished tied for ninth overall individually, shooting 225 (+9). Ike Vessey ’27 and Will Black ’28 also finished in the top 20 individual rankings, with scores of 231 (+15) and 232 (+16), respectively.
In Edina, St. Olaf Women’s Golf finished seventh out of 10 teams overall with a score of 996 (+136). Annika Searles ’29 was the Oles’ top individual finisher, placing 21st after shooting 245 (+29).
Facing adverse weather conditions, the team struggled on the first two days, which were marked by inclement weather with winds up to 40 mph throughout each day. On Monday, the conditions were more favorable for golf, and the team recovered.
“Overall, [it was] a rough start, but we bounced back well, and then Monday was just a ton of fun,” Anneliese Carlson ’28 said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger.
Carlson, who finished 27th overall, achieved a feat all golfers dream of: hitting a hole in one. On hole 13, Carlson’s first shot landed five yards from the pin before rolling into the hole. The immediate feeling: disbelief.
“I was standing there in shock,” Carlson said. “My coach [Brian Stevens] was beside himself, and he made sure the whole golf course could hear him.”
Hole 13 is on a cliff, which allowed Stevens to make sure everybody knew about Carlson’s hole-in-one.
“We were on top of this hill, so sound traveled very well throughout the course,” Carlson said. “Everybody could hear the yelling.”
The fall season is over for Men’s and Women’s Golf, but both teams have the spring season to look forward to. To circumvent Minnesota’s cold, snowy winter season, players take advantage of the golf simulator room in Skoglund Athletic Center.
There are no spring MIAC Championships, but both teams will compete in various tournaments in Minnesota and beyond. Women’s Golf will travel to Arizona for a tournament during spring break.
