Northern Michigan University’s Abbie Pietila tees off while bundled up at the rain-shortened Upper Iowa University Invitational held in Waterloo, Iowa, on Saturday. (Photo courtesy NMU)

CUTLINE

Northern Michigan University’s Abbie Pietila tees off while bundled up at the rain-shortened Upper Iowa University Invitational held in Waterloo, Iowa, on Saturday. (Photo courtesy NMU)

Main hed: NMU golfers stay competitive despite single-round meet in Iowa

By STEVE BROWNLEE

Journal Sports Editor

WATERLOO, Iowa — The women’s and men’s golf teams at Northern Michigan University showed off their depth at the top of the lineup as each team had two players share its top score at the rain-shortened Upper Iowa University Spring Invitational held Saturday.

A scheduled two-day meet that was supposed to start Friday at the not-so-aptly named Sunnyside Golf & Country Club, that day’s play was washed out and abbreviated to a single round the following day.

Both Wildcat teams were also supposed to play at meets hosted by Ohio Dominican this week, but withdrew from each. The women were scheduled for the ODU NC4K Classic earlier in the week on Monday and Tuesday, while the men were set for the Bill Blazer Memorial this coming weekend.

Instead, both advance directly onto their respective Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship meet to be held during consecutive weeks at downstate Augusta, located between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo.

The men play at Stoatin Brae Golf Club next Wednesday through Friday, while the women go to the nearby Stonehedge North course on Wednesday through Friday, April 22-24.

Here are details from Upper Iowa:

Women

Led by sophomores Abbie Pietila and Maddy Martens, the Northern women finished fourth in a 10-team field with a 43-over-par 331.

The Wildcats only finished four strokes behind runner-up St. Catherine’s 327 as GLIAC member Wisconsin-Parkside won by 10 strokes with 317.

Quincy was third with 329, two strokes ahead of NMU, with the host Peacocks fifth with 336, five behind Northern. Other combatants were Winona State, Wartburg, St. Ambrose, Hawkeye Community College and North Central (Minnesota).

Northern was the No. 2 team in par-3 scoring at 3.35 on each of those holes, fourth on par-4s with 4.90 and fifth on par-5s at 5.65. The Wildcats carded three birdies, 36 pars and 38 bogeys.

Pietila and Martens each shot a 7-over 79 to tie for third. They trailed only medalist Maia Becker of Parkside with 77 and Brenna Bodensteiner of Wartburg with 78. The NMU golfers tied six other golfers with 79, including Lily Zicarelli and AJ Powell of Parkside and Addison Weber of Upper Iowa.

Pietila bridied the par-3 fourth and added nine pars, while Martens birdied the par-5 11th and also had nine pars.

Payton Donnelly was next for Northern, tying for 16th with a 12-over 84, making 10 pars.

Teammate Aavra Relich tied for 28th with a 17-over 89, making five pars along with a birdie on her opening hole, the par-5 15th.

Abby Luke competed as an individual and tied for 37th with a 20-over 92, birdieing the par-3 eighth, while NMU’s Gabriella Moreau was 42nd with a 22-over 94.

Men

The Wildcat men finished seventh in a 12-team field with a 34-over 322, but only four strokes out of third and 10 strokes behind the winning team.

Quincy was victorious with a 24-over 312, while Augustana was runner-up with a 26-over 314 and the University of Mary (North Dakota) B team coming in third with a 30-over 318.

After Mary B was Mary A at 319, North Iowa Area Community College at 320 and Upper Iowa at 321.

Following NMU was Hawkeye CC 10 behind at 332, then followed by a pair of Wartburg teams, Luther and North Central.

Northern’s best statistic was on par-4 holes, where it was No. 5 in the field at 4.58 strokes on each of those holes, while the Wildcats were seventh on par-3s at 3.60 and tied for eighth on par-5s at 5.55.

Interestingly, while NMU was dead last in the field with only three birdies, it also tied for No. 1 among all teams with 48 pars and was second fewest with 26 bogeys.

Northern’s steady golf was led by freshman Jacob Daavettila and junior Arthur Ylitalo as each shot a 6-over 78 to tie for sixth place. Daavettila carded a dozen pars along with a birdie on the par-5 11th, with Ylitalo had 11 pars and a birdie on the par-4 fifth.

Derek Andersen of Augustana and Quinn Breidenbach of Mary A tied for top score with 2-over 74s, while Colby Robertson and Blake Arnold of Quincy, along with Dawson Melbo of Mary B, all tied for third with 4-over 76s.

Freshman Harvey Ylitalo was next for NMU with an 8-over 80 to tie for 15th as he carded 12 pars.

In this bunched-up field, NMU senior Brady Badker competed as an individual, tying for 30th despite finishing just two strokes behind Harvey Ylitalo with a 10-over 82 as he matched his teammate with a dozen pars.

The Wildcats’ Levi Pennala tied for 53rd with a 14-over 86, making a birdie on the par-4 18th, while Westwood product and Northern senior Tyler Annala shot an 18-over 90 to tie for 61st as he had a half-dozen pars.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press releases reviewing the meets. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.