Both the Mercyhurst men’s and women’s golf teams came to compete in Belle Vernon at the Cedarbrook Golf Club for the Vulcan Invitational to start off this year’s season.
At the tournament’s conclusion, both teams had a second place finish to round out their respective tournaments.
With a total of 77 golfers that competed at the 6,794-yard, par-72 Cedarbrook Gold Course, the men’s team’s final score was 886 (+22), which was only bested by West Liberty University pulling an 880 (+16) total.
The team recorded a score of 300 at the end of the first round, and then proceeded to record a score of 288 and then 298.
Leading the team for the tournament was senior Chris Kupniewski, who scored a 70, 73 and 74, and Harison Laskey, who scored a 77, 70 and 74. Kupniewski would tie for fourth for the men, and Laskey followed with the sixth-best score.
The women’s team put up a score of 337 in the first round, finishing in third place. On the first round, the Lakers ended 19 strokes behind California, which finished first place in that day and two strokes behind Wheeling Jesuit, who finished second that day. The next day, the women’s team followed it up with a score of 317.
Freshman Bridget Merten commented on the performance. “We’ve been playing quite well, and I think that we have a great chance of excelling in these upcoming tournaments,” Merten said. Merten was the top performer for the team in the tournament, recording a score of 76 and 72, respectively.
The tournament was held Sept. 6 and 7.