A strong season for the Otterbein women's golf team was capped by a 5th-place finish in the NCAA Division III Championship last weekend in Waverly, Iowa. This was the first year Otterbein had been invited to the NCAA tournament. The team shot 1281 over four rounds. The women finished behind Methodist (1219), who won their 11th straight championship, DePauw (1258), Southwestern (1263) and Illinois Wesleyan (1271). Freshman Catherine Brunoehler shot a team best 305 and tied for eighth place, individually. Junior Rustie Anderson tied for 31st, sophomore Kelly Butler placed 50th, senior Emily White came in at 67 and junior Natalie King finished 77th. Besides a good showing in the tournament, the Otterbein golfers received personal accolades as well. The Cardinals had two golfers named OAC Player of the Week, and head coach Nate Petry earned OAC Coach of the Year in his first season as the women's coach. Otterbein began the season with two out of state tournaments. Over spring break, the team attended the Jekyll Island invitational in Georgia and finished 10th. The Cardinals came in seventh at the Northern Kentucky Invitational with a two-day total of 648. The highlight of the season was a run of five straight first place finishes to close the season, including a victory at the OAC Championship. "I'm most proud of how hard everyone worked to become better," said Anderson. "Of course I'm really proud of how many wins we got, but what got us those victories was the hard work and dedication that we put in all year." The Capital Invitational the first weekend of April began conference play, and was the first of the Cardinals' consecutive victories. Anderson earned OAC golfer of the week for her performance in the Capital Invitational. At the Ohio Northern Invitational, OC triumphed again, bumping Franklin College by six strokes, 350 to 356. Catherine Brunoehler was named golfer of the week for her play in the tournament. Anderson said the successful year was still a challenge for the team. "A lot of things changed, and we had to learn to deal with those differences," she commented. "Next year, I hope, and expect, that the team will be even more successful." The Cardinals will look to repeat as OAC champions and return to the national championship next season. Emily White is the only senior on the team. The Cardinals will return five juniors, two sophomores, two freshman and boat-loads of tournament experience. "It was an experience I'll never be able to forget or duplicate. I feel honored to be a part of such a great team...I can't wait until next year," Anderson said. t&c;
A historic season concludes
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