After third place and ninth place finishes during the American Athletic Conference Championships for Wichita State’s men’s and women’s golf teams last season, the teams came out swinging to open up the 2024-25 season.
On Monday and Tuesday, the Shockers’ men’s golf team competed in the Dolenc Invitational, hosted by Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE) and the women’s golf team competed in the Powercat Invitational, hosted by Kansas State University (KSU).
Wichita State finished in eighth place out of 16 teams with 919 strokes in the women’s tournament and the men’s team finished in second place out of 18 teams after shooting 841.
Both hosts, SIUE and KSU, won the tournaments with 837 strokes and 860 strokes, respectively.
The Shockers’ top performers were junior Brooklyn Benn on the women’s team and senior Michael Winslow for the men. Benn shot 225 and finished in 20th place. Winslow shot 208 and finished in sixth place.
Men’s team
After round one, the men’s team was tied for seventh place at 283 strokes with the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay and old rivals Missouri State University, six strokes from the lead.
Winslow led the charge with a 68 and was in eighth place after shooting a 29 on the back nine. Sophomore Ty Adkins was right behind Winslow after shooting a 69, good enough for 16th place.
Wichita State jumped to a tie for second place in round two after shooting 274 aided by a 66 from Winslow and another 69 from Adkins. Junior Jose Carletta and senior Jose Miguel Ramirez finished under par after shooting a 69 and 70, respectively.
The men’s team shot 284 in round three to secure their podium finish. Winslow had a slow final round, shooting a 74 and dropping to sixth place overall while Adkins shot a 71 and climbed three positions to finish in 11th place with 209 total strokes.
Carletta matched Adkins’ round three score at 71, helping him secure 24th place with 213 total strokes. Miguel Ramirez shot a 72 en route to finishing in 34th place with 216 total strokes and senior Lucas Scheufler shot a 70 in round three, finishing in 40th place with 218 strokes.
Women’s team
In the women’s tournament, the Shockers were in fourth place after round one with 297 strokes, three behind conference opponent University of North Texas and eight behind leader and in-state foe, KSU.
Junior Kate Tilma was one stroke off the lead after shooting a 70, making no bogeys on the front nine. Making her collegiate debut, freshman Amelie Paul was in a tie for ninth place after shooting a 73.
Wichita State dropped to fifth place after shooting 311 during the second round with Benn leading the efforts after shooting 75, taking a 33 on the back nine. Paul, junior Mackenzie Wilson and Tilma rounded out the Shockers’ scorecards with a 77, 79 and 80, respectively.
The Shockers dropped another three positions in the final round after shooting 311 to secure their spot on the leaderboard.
Benn shot 74 en route to her 20th place, Tilma shot 77 and finished in 23rd place with 227 total strokes. Paul shot an 82 in the final round and finished in a tie for 30th place with 232 strokes, Wilson shot a 78 in round three and finished in 44th place with 235 strokes and freshman Laura Stifter, making her collegiate debut, finished in 77th place after shooting 251 total strokes.
Wichita State’s men’s golf’s next tournament is on Monday, Sept. 23, and Tuesday, Sept. 24, as it takes on the Git-R-Done Invitational, hosted by the University of Nebraska at The Firehorn Golf Club.
Women’s golf’s next tournament is from Monday, Sept. 23, through Wednesday, Sept. 25, as it competes in the Golfweek Red Sky Classic in Eagle, Colorado at the Red Sky Ranch Golf Club.
