MONROE, Calif. --- Biola's women's golf team finished tied for second with two golfers in the top five while the men's team finished sixth at the NAIA Unaffiliated Qualifying Tournament on Monday and Tuesday at Diamond Woods Golf Course in Monroe, Ore.
The performance by the women's team was its best in the program's short history and came despite the wet weather. The Eagles finished tied for second out of eight teams in the field, finishing 38 shots back of Concordia University (Ore.), the tournament's winner.
Freshman Ava Lourenco (80-84-80) and senior Lauren Marlow (80-85-79) finished in a tie for fifth out of 40 golfers, each carding scores of 28-over-par 244 in the three-round tournament. For Lourenco, it was her sixth top 10 finish of the year including one win, while Marlow finished in the top 10 three times including the final tournament of her career.
Rounding out the Eagles' side was Jackie Mata in 16th place with a 270 (92-90-88), Jasmine Rodriguez was 21st with a 276 (93-88-95) while Beth Williams placed 24th with a 280 (96-94-90).
"It was quite a challenge with all the wet weather," said Biola Head Coach Hank Woodrome. "The course was saturated with rain. Absolutely no roll after ball landed. Really made course long for girls. However, the girls had an outstanding tournament! Finishing 2nd and having two girls tie for 5th was awesome!"
The men finished 6th out of eight teams and played better each round. Joshua Mathis paced the Eagles with an eighth place finish, carding a 230 (78-79-73). Close behind was Nick Grady in 17th with a 238 (81-77-80) followed by Lucas Kinan, who tied for 21st with a 240 (82-80-78). Rounding out the group was William Langworthy in 32nd place with a 252 (88-83-81) while Conner Penfold was forced to withdraw during the second round.
"I was proud of the guys," said Woodrome. "I was very encouraged with freshman Luke Kinan's performance as he improved every round. I think he will be a big help next year. I have 4 freshman returning next year who I think will be very good players (Luke Kinan, William Langworthy, Kevin Vandekamp, and Joel Smith). This was the last tournament for seniors Joshua Mathis, Nick Grady, and Conner Penfold. They will be missed a lot."
