Ashley Swanson carded a team-best 157 score at the Grand Valley State Laker Classic in her second appearance of the 2010 fall season. (Photo by Ed Hyde)
Ashley Swanson carded a team-best 157 score at the Grand Valley State Laker Classic in her second appearance of the 2010 fall season. (Photo by Ed Hyde)
Posted: Oct 04, 2010

Ferris State Places Seventh At Grand Valley State's Laker Classic

A seventh-place performance is what the Ferris State University women's golf team came away at this weekend's (Oct. 3-4) Grand Valley State Laker Classic as the Bulldogs turned in a team tournament-best 314 final round to register a two-round 640 team total (+64) on the par 72, 6,010-yard The Meadows Golf Course in Allendale, Mich.

Ferris State's 314 final-round score in Monday's (Oct. 4) action moved them up one spot as the Bulldogs concluded opening-round play on Sunday (Oct. 3) with a 38-over par 326 team stroke total.  FSU ended up four strokes in front of eighth-place California, Pa. (644, +68) and trailed California State-Monterey Bay (638, +60) by four strokes.  Florida Southern and Augustana, S.D. came into the final round tied for top team honors among the 14 schools participating, but Florida Southern shot a 295 compared to Augustana's 308 strokes to win the tournament.  Florida Southern (600, +24) and Augustana (613, +37) were followed by Ashland (630, +54), host Grand Valley State (633, +57), and Drury (636, +60), respectively.

Sophomore Ashley Swanson (Flushing/Flint Powers Catholic Central) turned in Ferris State's best score with a 157 (83-74=157, +13) to tie five others for 18th place.  The top-20 effort marked a season best for Swanson, who was making only her second tournament appearance of the fall season.  Erin Fuchik (Tulsa, Okla./Bishop Kelley) followed up Swanson as the FSU junior took 24th-place honors by firing a 159 score (77-82=159, +15).

The 36th-place position was a popular place for Ferris State as three Bulldogs comprised all but one of the finishers.  Juniors Bryce Hetchler (Clinton Township/Fraser) and Blaize Baumgartner (Perry) both registered 165-stroke totals as did freshman Emily Rohdy (Farwell) as the trio ended up 21-strokes over par.  Hetchler (81-84=165, +21) along with Baumgartner (85-80=165, +21) and Rohdy (87-78=165, +21) were joined by Grand Valley State's Veronica Ryan.   

Junior Brooke Rodes (Traverse City/West), the Bulldogs' two-time team captain, competed in a non-scoring capacity and captured sole possession of 63rd place by tallying a 182 score (92-90=182, +38).

Ferris State will now gear up for its final tournament of the 2010 fall season this weekend (Oct. 9-10) when the Bulldogs compete in the Findlay William "Bing" Beall Classic at the Sycamore Springs Golf Club in Arlington, Ohio.