West Chester University’s women’s golf team recently wrapped up their fall 2022 season last Monday with a fourth place finish at the Clarion Invitational. The Golden Rams finished with a total score of 689 after 36 holes, with Gannon University taking the top spot with a score of 616. This fourth place was the Golden Rams second time finishing in the top five this year.
Madilyn Siuta, a junior from Coopersburg, led West Chester with a first round tally of 83, followed up by an 85 on day two for a total of 168. She finished eighth overall in the invitational, just two strokes ahead of teammate Kirsten Vanderhorst, a freshman from Gambrills, who placed eleventh. Sarah White from Gannon University took the top spot in the tournament, shooting an impressive 151. White is a two time PSAC Athlete of the Year, and played a huge part in her team’s overall victory.
Prior to this invitational, West Chester participated in five events this season, with their top team performance coming at the Alvernia Invitational in late September. The Golden Rams captured second place in the event, with the home team, Alvernia, taking home the title with a score of 341, 11 strokes ahead of West Chester. Margaux Solis, a freshman from Houston, led West Chester in the tournament with a tally of 86, good enough for a fifth place individual finish. Solis was a part of a talented freshman class for the Golden Rams that also included the aforementioned Vanderhorst, and Molly Gregor. All three athletes will look to play a big role in the program for years to come.
West Chester has a very young team as a whole, as Josephine Genuardi will be the lone graduate from this group. She has had an excellent four-year career so far as a Golden Ram with her best season to date coming in 2021 when she posted an 87.2 stroke average, to go along with one eagle and nine birdies. She finished in the top 30 in the PSAC Championships twice, during her freshman and sophomore year, the latter of which was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While West Chester will be off the course for the time being, they will return to action in the spring with a series of tournaments leading up to the PSAC Championships at Lock Haven University in late April. Last season, the Golden Rams had an impressive spring semester, winning the Dr Edwin Cottrell Invitational on their home turf, and finishing second at the Millersville Invitational. At the PSAC Championships, West Chester finished in fifth place overall, and will look to build on this performance this coming year. As of this writing, the schedule has not been released yet but if last season is any indication they will take on three more regular seasons tournaments prior to the Championship event.
For more information on West Chester’s golf team including schedules, rosters, statistics, ticket sales and more visit the Golden Rams athletic website.
Erick Klambara is a media and culture major with a minor in journalism. EK924666@wcupa.edu