This past weekend, Ferris State University hosted the annual Bulldog Fall Classic in Big Rapids, Michigan. Saint Mary’s was one of 13 teams competing in the event. The Belles were in for a challenge, as the lone NCAA Division III program at the classic, competing among some of the premier Division II teams in the region. Over the two rounds of the weekend, Saint Mary’s finished +84 and in 11th place on the team leaderboard.
So far this season, sophomore Melanie Maier has been the top performer for the Belles, a trend that would continue this weekend. Maier was extremely proficient on the back nine, carding a 37 through the stretch in both rounds on the back. After the first 18, Maier sat at 81 strokes; a second-round performance of 76 allowed her to climb 13 spots in the rankings. In total, Maier carded a 157 in the event, a score that gave her a top-21 finish on the individual leaderboards.
Colleen Hand had the second-best overall score for the Belles. The junior shot a team-best of 80 in round one and followed it up with an 81 in the following round. Her final tally of +17 left her tied for 35th. Hand sank two birdies in the event, one of three Belles to reach that mark.
Seniors Amanda Melling and Breana Harrington would round out Saint Mary’s scorecard in both rounds. In round one, Melling sank two birdies, which fueled a score of 85. The next day, Melling found one more birdie and finished with an 82. For Harrington, round one saw her match her teammate, also carding an 85. In the second round, she added 90 more strokes to her score. In the end, Melling took a 60th-place finish, and Harrington took a top-67 finish.
The Belles also saw Ella Notaro play the first round of her sophomore season this weekend. In her freshman season, Notaro competed in four rounds with a low score of 87. In the first round of her season this year, she broke her career low, shooting an 86. Saint Mary’s final golfer was Katharine Swain, who competed as an individual in the event, and finished 76th. The classic was the fourth event Swain has competed in.
The Grand Valley State Lakers dominated the event and took first place. The top three individual performances all belonged to the Lakers, including that of sophomore Lea Stotz, who claimed her first collegiate golf victory. Stotz carded a 70 in both rounds of the event to end with a score of -4. By the end of the weekend, Grand Valley State found itself at the top of the leaderboards and 20 strokes in front of second place.
Saint Mary’s only had a few days of rest before their next event. Following the Bulldog Fall Classic, the Belles will resume conference play Tuesday, Sept. 30 in the second Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Assocation Jamboree.
