Freshman Jacqueline DeBoer was the Bulldogs' top finisher at the Ferris State Tom Kirinovic Classic.
Freshman Jacqueline DeBoer was the Bulldogs' top finisher at the Ferris State Tom Kirinovic Classic.

Bulldogs Place Fifth In Ferris State Tom Kirinovic Women's Golf Classic

Tom Kirinovic Classic - Final Results (PDF)

The Ferris State University women's golf team had to contend with the elements in its 2010-11 season opener as the Bulldogs ended up registering a fifth-place showing at the Ferris State Tom Kirinovic Classic this weekend (Sept. 5-6) on the par 72, 5,851-yard Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids, Mich.

The Bulldogs came in with a 631 two-round stroke total to finish 55 strokes above par.  Ferris State registered a 317 score in Sunday's (Sept. 5) opening round before following up with a 314-stroke final-round tally on Monday (Sept. 6) despite wet course conditions.  The tournament was delayed for one hour as a result of heavy rain and lightning.

Claiming top team honors was Ashland (603, +37) while Grand Valley State and California (Pa.) both tied for second place as a result of carding 608 team stroke totals (+32).  Indianapolis placed ahead of Ferris State with a fourth-place 614 score (+38) among the 14 participating teams.  Individually, Grand Valley State's Sarah Hoffman claimed medalist recognition with a par on the fourth playoff hole to best Dianne Luke of California (Pa.). 

Freshman Jacqueline DeBoer (Grand Rapids/South Christian) was the top finisher for Ferris State as she tied for 13th place by firing a 154 (78-76=154, +10) in her collegiate debut.  Junior Bryce Hetchler (Clinton Township/Fraser) also turned in a top-20 place performance by shooting a 16th-place tying 157 score (81-76=157, +13).

Junior Blaize Baumgartner (Perry) produced a 161 score (80=81=161, +17) to earn 30th-place honors.  Fellow junior Erin Fuchik (Tulsa, Okla./Bishop Kelley) would finish 10 places in back of Baumgartner as she netted a 40th-place tying 165 (78-87=165, +21). 

Junior Cooper Shawen (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley) completed the scoring for the Bulldogs with a 167 score (86-81=167, +23) to tie three others for a share of 44th place.  Shawen, like DeBoer, was making her Ferris State debut after playing the previous two seasons at Lincoln (Ill.) Junior College.

Junior Breezy Bernth (Greenville), who competed as an individual, shot a 159 (80-79=159, +15) and would claim a share of 21st place.  Freshman Emily Rohdy (Farwell) placed tied for 31st place in a non-scoring capacity by tallying a 162 (80-82=162, +18) while junior Brooke Rodes' (Traverse City/West) 164-stroke total (79-85=164, +20) proved worthy of 39th place as a non scorer.

The tournament, formerly the Ferris State Bulldog Invitational, was recently renamed to honor retired FSU Athletics Director Tom Kirinovic, who served as a member of the Bulldog Athletics Department for more than 27 years and had been the University's Athletics Director since November, 1999.

Ferris State will compete in the Lake Superior State Tournament next weekend, Sept. 11-12, at Kinchloe, Mich.