Trojans qualify for national tournament
ANKENY - The NIACC women's golf team placed third at the NJCAA North Plains District Tournament Tuesday at Otter Creek Golf Course.
The Trojans earned their third-place finish with a two-day total of 349-356 - 705. DMACC was the district champion with rounds of 340-330 - 670 and Iowa Central was second with rounds of 340-338 - 678.
The top three teams at the district tournament qualified for the NJCAA Division II national tournament, which is set for May 12-15 in Boone.
"It's an exciting time for the women's team to qualify for the first NJCAA Division II national tournament," NIACC coach Chris Frenz said. "We put together a pretty solid couple of days and we know we left some strokes out there.
"So we're really looking forward to going to the national tournament to see how we stack up against other NJCAA Division Ii teams across the nation. We've always said our region is one of the most competitive regions in the country and I can't wait to see how things turn out in a couple of weeks."
It is the first time since 2013 that the NIACC women's golf team has qualified for the national tournament.
NIACC freshman Meghan DeLong tied for third in the individual medalist competition with rounds of 82-80 - 162. The two-day total of 162 is the second lowest district/regional score in the Chris Frenz era, which started in 2007.
Mikayla Smith has the lowest two-day district/regional tournament score in the Frenz era when she shot 82-78 - 160 at the 2013 regional tournament.
DeLong's round of 80 on Tuesday is the tied for the second lowest district/regional tournament round in the Frenz era.
"Meghan played very well but just couldn't get the break she needed to catch the leader," Frenz said. "She's such a competitior and really got after it both days and while third place is awesome, she was obviously disappointed to not come away with the win."
Also for the Trojans, sophomore Paige Danger placed eighth with rounds of 87-89 - 176. The two-round total of 176 is tied for ninth for NIACC women's golfers at the regional/district tournament in the Frenz era.
"It was a great way for Paige to finish out her sophomore season before taking part in the national tournament," Frenz said.
NIACC's Addy Boell shot 92-90 - 182, Kenedee Frayne shot 88-99 - 187 and Ashlyn Berven shot shot 98-97 - 195.
"Frayne, Boell and Berven had a little trouble (Tuesday) on a couple of holes," Frenz said, "but really kept their poise and finished as strong as they could. We're all looking forward to competing as a team one more time."
