Editor’s Note: Welcome to Bison Illustrated’s 2014-15 Yearbook! Thursday, we’ll be releasing our highlights from the men’s and women’s golf and baseball teams.
Women’s Golf Team
Head Coach Matt Johnson Quote
“We did have a lot of things that were going pretty well early on. Natalie Roth started to play really, really well right after her first tournament. Alex Schmid, who is a sophomore and had a pretty good freshman year, won a tournament, which is not easy to do.”
Highlight
During the Nebraska Chip-N-Club Invitational in September, the Bison broke the school record with the team’s lowest 54-hole tournament score by shooting 906. The score would place them fifth in the tournament, 27 strokes behind the tournament winners, Ohio State. The 2014-15 team would go on to break the school record for the best four-player team scoring average in a season with 309.61.
Impact Performer
Senior Sarah Storandt finished her lengthy Bison career on a strong note by averaging 76.94 strokes per round, the third-best scoring average by someone not named Amy Anderson. She also shot the second lowest score in Bison history by shooting a 67 in the second round of the Nebraska Chip-N-Club Invitational.
The Future Is Now
Lake Park, Minn. native Natalie Roth was named the All-Summit League Women’s Golf second team after a stellar freshman season. Roth averaged 76.57 per round, which placed her 10th in the league. She shot a season-low 68 during the first round of the UMKC Invitational and finished with five top 10 finishes.
(Photo by John Berry) Natalie Rith was the highest finishing Bison at the Summit League Championship. She finished 10th, shooting a three-round 18-over par.
Chew on This
The Bison were on fire to begin the golf season after winning three of their first four tournaments. They took home the Cobber Open crown to start the season with a 10-stroke victory. Then, on a back-to-back weekend, the Bison went to Brookings and Vermillion, S.D. and brought home first place trophies. During the Jackrabbit Fall Invitational, the Bison defeated second place South Dakota State by 22 strokes and were led by Alex Schmid’s 54-hole score of 225. The following week, the Bison won the USD Coyote Classic by 33 strokes. It was the second time in program history the women’s golf team won three tournaments in a season.
UPDATE!
Men’s Golf Team
Head Coach Steve Kennedy Quote
“We just went through a lot of adversity as far as our scores this spring just because the courses that we played and it made us tougher I think. Then we went out to the conference tournament and it was a difficult course and the kids handled it well.”
Highlight
It was a historic season for NDSU’s men’s golf team as they finished in fourth place at the Summit League Championship. The fourth-place finish is the highest in school history. Senior Bill Carlson led the way by placing sixth in the individual standings with a three-round 10-over par 226.
Impact Performer
Senior Bill Carlson won his first individual tournament championship in the Omaha Invitational this fall with a career-best 54-hole score of 212. Carlson’s 74.5-stroke average this season was good enough to place him seventh best of all-time in Bison history. He’s third best of all-time with a 75.02-stroke average per round during his career.
The Future is Now
Freshman Keaton Lausch averaged 78.11 over 18 rounds during his first season at NDSU. The Fergus Falls, Minn. native shot his best round of the season during the Omaha Invitational when he tallied a 72 during the third round. Lausch finished tied for 19th at the Summit League Championship, shooting an 18-over, 234 for the tournament.
Keaton Lausch joined teammates Connor Holland and Trent Olson as the highest finishers for NDSU at the Summit League Championship
Chew on This
After finishing tied for fifth in the first tournament of the season at the Omaha Invitational, the Bison rebounded with a pair of second-place finishes. The Bison placed 11 strokes behind champions South Dakota at the Jackrabbit Fall Invitational and would follow up that performance by placing two strokes behind Omaha at the USD Coyote Classic. Bill Carlson led the charge for the Bison with third and sixth place finishes.
