Iowa women’s golf wins at home
The Hawkeyes won its first team title since 2015 at the Diane Thomason Invitational
Iowa’s Shawn Rennegarbe tees off during the Diane Thomason Invitational at Finkbine Golf Course on Sept. 30, 2018.The Hawkeyes placed first overall.
October 1, 2018
The Iowa women’s golf team came out victorious on Sunday as play concluded at the Diane Thomason Invitation on Finkbine Golf Course. The Hawkeyes shot a team score of 898 (34-over) to give the team its first title since winning the Thomason on Sept. 13, 2015.
“This was a huge confidence boost for us, and I feel like we managed the conditions very well,” head coach Megan Menzel said. “We got off to a rough start yesterday, and they just really played great from that point forward.”
North Dakota State finished in second place with a 920, with Northern Iowa following in third with 933.
It was a weekend of firsts for the Hawkeyes.
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Captain Shawn Rennegarbe started out a bit shaky but climbed the leaderboard three spots to lead the Hawkeyes and tie for first place with a three-round total of 221 (5-over) for her first career win.
The senior standout was also the only player in the tournament to shoot under-par in round three. She tallied a career-low 18-hole score of 69 (3-under) with 3 birdies in the last nine holes to lift her to the title.
“It is really exciting, I have not been home for a home tournament, so it was nice to show it off,” Rennegarbe said. “It was a good day, and we won as a team. I tried to stay patient, and good things came.”
Along with Rennegarbe, the Hawkeyes had three players finish in the top 10 and earn career-best finishes: senior Kristin Glesne and freshmen Manuela Lizarazu and Dana Lerner.
Lizarazu shot 6 birdies through the first two rounds to lead her to a third-place finish and a three-round career-high of 223.
“I felt really good; I think as a team we accomplished something we were hoping to accomplish,” Lizarazu said. “It was super important for all of us, and we did a really good job. I wanted to stay positive and give the best that I could.”
Glesne followed in fourth place with an overall score of 226. Lerner made her home début finishing sixth.
Sophomore Brett Permann made her Hawkeye début on Sunday tying for 13th place with a 234.
Iowa stood out and had four more Hawkeyes get their name on the leaderboard.
Stephanie Herzog tied for 10th overall as an individual with a 233. Sophomore Rachel Fujitani and junior Sophie Liu tied for 32nd with a 54-hole total of 238, and sophomore Annalee Dannegger tied for 48th.
“We had some great individual battles out there today, and I think we gained a lot of confidence moving forward, and I am very proud of them,” Menzel said. “Just really proud to be here at Finkbine and get a win in front of a home crowd.”
Iowa was one of nine teams to participate in the tournament algong with North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Drake, Western Michigan, Omaha, Ball State, and Illinois-Chicago.
With this win under their belt, the Hawkeyes can focus on the next challenge. The team will travel to Sammamish, Washington, on Oct. 9-10 to compete in the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational.
