SHAWNEE, Okla. – Wayland Baptist University Men's and Women's Golf put together a strong showing at the NCCAA Qualifier in Shawnee, Oklahoma, with both Pioneer teams finishing atop the team standings and Sacha Brendle and Isabelle Victoria Soh leading their respective fields individually.
The three-round event was played at Shawnee Country Club, with the Wayland men finishing at 5-over par and the women completing the tournament at 85-over.
Men's Golf
Wayland Men's Golf saved its best round for last, closing the qualifier with a 5-under-par team performance after posting rounds of 5-over in each of the opening two rounds. The Pioneers finished the tournament at 5-over overall, well ahead of second-place Southwestern Christian at 46-over.
"On the men's side, today was one of the best rounds we've put together in a long time. It was great to see the guys play so well. Sacha shot a 5-under, bogey-free round, which was outstanding, and Enzo played really solid golf as well. It was a great team effort from the guys, and I think a performance like this can do a lot for us with what we have coming up. We're heading to Florida next week, and I know the guys are excited for the opportunity to get down there, compete against some really good teams and keep building on what we accomplished here." Head Coach Tom Harp said in a post match interview.
Brendle led the way for Wayland and captured the individual title, finishing the three rounds at 2-under par. After opening with a 74 (+3), Brendle responded with an even-par 71 in the second round before producing the round of the tournament on the final day.
Brendle fired a 5-under 66 in Round 3, recording six birdies against just one bogey. He played the front nine in 32 and came home in 34 to secure the top spot.
Enzo Dakiche followed closely behind, finishing second overall at even par. Dakiche carded rounds of 74, 71 and 68, closing the tournament with a 3-under final round.
Wayland also claimed the next two positions on the leaderboard. August Nord finished third at 3-over following rounds of 70, 74 and 72, while Leonard Lebrun placed fourth at 4-over after rounds of 71, 73 and 73.
Maxime Olivo rounded out the Wayland lineup at 22-over, posting rounds of 77, 79 and 79.
The Pioneers' individual totals were:
Wayland's final-round surge was highlighted by Brendle's 66 and Dakiche's 68 as the Pioneers turned a 5-over performance in Round 2 into a 5-under showing in the final round.
Women's Golf
Wayland Women's Golf also finished at the top of the team standings, completing the three rounds at 85-over. The Pioneers posted rounds of 28-over, 32-over and 25-over, making their final round their best team performance of the qualifier.
"The course setup was very difficult for the ladies and was right on par with what we faced at PGA National last week, so it was great for them to work through another set of challenges as we continue preparing for what's ahead," Head Coach Tom Harp said. "I'm extremely happy for them to come away with the win, and I'm really excited for Isabelle and how dominant she was. Bia is really stepping up and starting to show a lot of promise. It was a great team effort all the way around, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they compete against some of the top-ranked teams going forward.
Soh captured the individual championship, finishing at 14-over across the three rounds. She opened the tournament with a 1-over 73, the lowest round by a Wayland women's golfer during the event, before recording rounds of 80 and 77 for a three-round total of 230.
The Pioneers occupied three of the top three individual positions. Juanita Villafane finished second at 22-over, shooting rounds of 78, 79 and 81 for a total of 238.
Bia Mesquita placed third at 23-over with rounds of 77, 86 and 76. Mesquita rebounded from the second round by firing a 4-over 76 on the final day, Wayland's lowest score of Round 3.
Marissa Armendariz finished tied for fourth at 30-over. After an opening-round 88, Armendariz responded with back-to-back rounds of 79 to close the tournament.
Ellen Lonergan finished eighth at 38-over, recording rounds of 89, 82 and 83.
Wayland's individual totals were:
The qualifier concluded with Wayland taking the top team spot on both sides while also producing both individual champions. Brendle's final-round 66 highlighted the men's victory, while Soh's consistency across the three rounds carried her to the women's individual title.
