The UNI men’s and women’s golf teams traveled to Elk Horn, Neb. for the Stampede At The Creek on Monday, April 10, and Tuesday, April 11. This was their final tournament of the regular season before the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championships. The men’s team picked the right opportunity to complete their best finish of the regular season with a second-place team showing.

The UNI men started off hot, leading all teams at the end of round one with a team score of 287, one point ahead of second-place St. Thomas. UNI’s top finishers for the round were JD Pollard and Griffin Parker, both shooting a 71. Round two saw UNI fall back despite shooting a 288, as Omaha and St. Thomas shot a 281 and 284, respectively. Thomas Storbeck and Connor VanWeelden led the Panthers in round two with scores of 71. Round three saw UNI nearly storm back to take the lead, as their score of 291 led the field. However, it left UNI one stroke short, with St. Thomas claiming the victory with a total score of 865, compared to UNI’s 866. Parker again led UNI with a 71.

In addition to picking up their first second-place finish of the season, several of the individual golfers had good competitions. Parker finished with a 215, good for -1 overall, which was third overall. VanWeelden was just two strokes behind at 217, or +1, good for a tie for fourth place. Pollard was the third highest Panther with a score of 218, or +2. The top individual golfer overall was Omaha’s Connor Wilson, who shot a 208, or -8.

The women’s team did not have quite as much luck as the men’s team, finishing in ninth place overall. The Panthers finished in seventh for round one with a score of 307. They were led by Anna Jensen and Anna Nacos, who each shot a 72. Round two saw UNI finish in ninth with a score of 316. They were led by three different golfers: Nacos, McKenna Mallow and Victoria Hualde, who all shot a 78. Round three saw UNI finish in eighth with a score of 309, but just one stroke behind three other teams. Jensen again led the Panthers with a 72.

UNI finished the tournament in ninth place with a score of 932. Jensen led the way for UNI’s individual scores, finishing with a total of 230, or +14, which tied her for 22nd. Nacos was just behind her with a total of 232, or +16, to finish in a tie for 26th. Hualde finished with a total of 239, or +23, to finish in a tie for 42nd. The first-place team was the Creighton Bluejays with a team score of 890, and Creighton’s Katherine Lemke finished with the best individual score, shooting a 219, or +3.

The last tournament of the season for both teams will be the MVC Championships. The women’s team travels to Waterloo, Ill., from Sunday, April 16, through Tuesday, April 18. The men’s team goes to Coal Valley, Ill., from Sunday, April 23, through Tuesday, April 25.