Falcon golfers raise the bar to make par

When it comes to Falcon athletics there are numerous opportunities for students to take advantage of. There are a great deal of varsity sports to tryout for as well as a variety of club sports, not to mention an endless list of intramural activities to keep students active. Among all these athletic programs and teams lies one particular athletic program that stands out from the rest. This is because it doesn't stand out at all.

The Falcon women's golf team is the least recognized athletic program on campus, so it comes as a shock to many students when they find out there actually is a team here on campus.

The members of the golf team are extremely dedicated to their sport, and the focus and concentration that goes into their training rivals that of any other sport on campus. The mere fact that the team consists of only three players and the competitive rounds that these golfers participate in are not exactly at the top of the list of spectator events in River Falls, motivates the players to play for themselves, each other, their families and their coach.

The team is coached by Reid Perry, and the squad he brings to River Falls Golf Club Tuesday thru Friday for practice is made up of Jenna Gutzwiller, a senior from Elk River, Minn., Katie Kantrud, a junior from Fergus Falls, Minn., and Courtney Swanson, a sophomore from River Falls.

As the season got underway Gutzwiller and Kantrud both participated in the UW-Eau Claire Invitational. Kantrud shot an 89 on Saturday and a 96 on Sunday to finish with a two-day total of 185 and a tie for 61st place. Gutzwiller shot a 99 on Saturday and a 98 on Sunday for a two-day total of 197 and a tie for 84th place.

Next for the team was the UW-Oshkosh Invitational, an evint in which all three golfers participated. Kantrud finished the weekend with rounds of 103 and 89, Gutzwiller finished with rounds of 98 and 104, and Swanson in her first weekend, finished with rounds of 104 and 106.

Following that performance was the most recent event that the squad golfed in which was the Division III Midwest Classic. All three Falcon golfers had good showings, with Kantrud leading the way tying for 54th place following rounds of 95 and 99, Gutzwiller finishing 58th with rounds of 96 and 102, and Swanson finishing tied for 74th with rounds of 107 and 116.

With most other teams participating arriving with a full roster of five to the events, the three Falcon golfers have learned to help each other raise the bar out on the course.

"We all get along really well," Kantrud said. "We're all in the same boat, and when we feel like getting frustrated after a shot we help each other to try and focus on the next shot."

With the minuscule numbers of female athletes interested in playing golf for the Falcons the players want students to know how fun it is.

"We need more people participating," Kantrud said. "Golf is not a sport to be afraid of. We're out there to have fun. We know we might not win every meet, but were gonna have fun trying."