Out of 13 schools involved in the Wally Edgell WV Division II Invitational at CanaanValley Resort in Davis, WV, which spanned from Monday, Sept. 25 until Tuesday, Sept. 26., the Rams came in 10th place. As a team, the Rams shot 605 strokes in the tournament, far behind the Golden Eagles of Charleston, who won the tournament by shooting an 18-under 550.
Shepherd was not the only team who struggled in this tournament, however, as Charleston proved to be the only school to finish the tournament under par (-18). Davis & Elkins College (+1) came in second place in the tournament, finishing 19 strokes behind Charleston, showing the dominance that the Golden Eagles put on display.
The Rams’ Trey Euler, a sophomore, shot a 149 to tie for 26th place with four other players in the tournament. He had the Rams’ top performance on the day, as he was able to improve the Rams’ overall finish in the tournament.
Sophomore Owen Elliott finished just behind with his 150-shot outing, which put him in a tie for 31st place in the tournament.
Senior Brandon Dang tied for 42nd place with four other players, as he shot a score of 153 in the tournament. Junior Drew Call kept pace with Dang, as he finished with a score of 155 to come in a tie for 47th place with three different players. Sophomore Mike Graessle fired a 160-shot total to come in a tie for 60th place with one other player in the tournament.
As the scores indicate, the Rams found the course to be particularly challenging. The team was not able to string together enough of a selection of quality shots to get them back into the match.
With the way Charleston was playing, Shepherd simply had no chance at mounting a comeback based on how they were playing.
After the match, the head coach of the Rams, Edward Dolan talked about what challenges the course presented for the Rams.
“[The] Firm greens made keeping the ball in the fairway important.”
Dolan also expressed that the team has performed up to his expectations so far this season, in addition to addressing where he has seen the greatest growth in the team so far.
“Yes, the team is trending in the right direction as we prepare for conference events. Our mental game and team unity are improving each week.”
The Rams will have to shake this performance off and have a short memory, as next week they will play in the MEC Fall Classic in Buckhannon, W.Va., which spans from next Monday, Oct. 2, until Tuesday, Oct. 3.
Anthony Bracken is the Sports Editor of The Picket. He can be reached at abrack02@rams.shepherd.edu