In more recent years West Chester University’s athletic programs have been more than dominant. This past week the men’s golf team was competing in the Hal Hanson Invitational, in Clarion, Pennsylvania. The event took place at Clarion Oaks Golf Course. At the end of the first day the Golden Rams finished with an overall score of 302. This placement had them tied for sixth in the conclusion of day one of the tournament.
Some of the highlights from day one were performances by senior Michael Ashcraft and Junior Eric Slawter. Both turned a 2 over par performance of 74. Other notable performances included: juniors Austin Mann and Corey Smith with rounds of 76, 4 over par on the day. Junior Ryan Fogel finished with a round of 81 and freshman Zach Boe with 78 respectively. With these scores and the field not too far ahead, Ram’s golf is pushing for a strong start to the 2013 season.
Monday held the final round for the Hal Hanson invitational. The squad would put together a solid push on Monday to solidify a spot for third in the tournament, as the team finished with a score of 300 and an overall score of 602. The senior shined once again on day two with a round of even par 72 on the day. Ashcraft recorded his career low score 146 in a 36 hole tournament. Ashcraft was beat out by IUP’s Zach Kempa, for the individual scoring champion, by one stroke. Slawter also turned in a standout performance by duplicating his score from the previous day with a final of 74 on the day, and 148 overall. Swalter not only finished in the top ten for the second straight year, but also tied his career low in scoring at Clarion Oaks Golf Course. You can say Slawter has stayed consistent at this course, with a score of 74 in his past four rounds at the course.
Smith followed his fellow junior Slawter by duplicating his score from the day before. Smith shot 76 for the second consecutive day and finished with a 152 on the tournament. Mann bettered his score of 76 on Sunday posting a 75 on Monday. He turned in a total score of 151 for the tournament. Fogel followed this trend by bettering his score by 2 strokes to finish with 79 on the day and a 160 overall for the tournament. The freshman Boe finished Monday with a final score of 80 and an overall of 158. In his first collegiate tournament, Boe shows promise for the Rams in the future.
The team was resilient in day two, jumping up three spots from the previous day. The Golden Rams were just barely edged out by Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon, with team scores of 583 and 598. In a time where West Chester University’s sports seem to be at their peak, men’s golf decided they wanted a piece of the action. With the help of the veteran presence of Ashcraft, Slawter, and Smith the team seems to be steered in the right direction.
Along with the leadership of veterans are the youthful presence of freshman Boe, which will keep the squad not only competitive this season, but in years to come. The team will be traveling to Charleston West Virginia this weekend to compete in the Charleston Invitational. This event will be held at the Glade Springs.
Michael Murphey is a first-year student majoring in communication studies. He can be reached at MM802071@wcupa.edu
Fri. Jun 2nd, 2023
