Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University women's golf team finished fourth at the Red Flash Invitational Tuesday, closing with a 312 during the second day of action at Sunnehanna Country Club in Westmont, Pa., and posting a 641 over 36 holes. It marks the first top five team finish in program history for the Dukes.
TEAM LEADERBOARD
Purdue Fort Wayne garnered the team title at the Red Flash Invitational, carding a 306 Tuesday, the lowest team round of the tournament, and finishing with a 623 (+47), four strokes ahead of both Bucknell and Stonehill. Host Saint Francis U (644) earned fifth, three strokes behind Duquesne, to close out the top five teams. Rounding out the field was Monmouth (647), Mercyhurst (686), La Salle (716), Saint Joseph's (769) and the SFU (808) B team.
HORNET'S NEST
Most student-athletes rewrite record books at their respective institutions. For freshman
Sasha Petrochko, she is authoring a rookie campaign that is creating the record book. In the second round of the Red Flash Invitational Tuesday, Petrochko posted the first round in school history under par, as she handed in a 70 (-2) to close the two-day event at 148 (+4). A pair of top 10 finishes in the first two NCAA competitions for Duquesne, Petrochko went a step further at the Red Flash Invitational, earning the individual crown. She finished a stroke ahead of Helen Brodahl of Stonehill, who opened with a 73 (+1) before carding a 76 (+4) Tuesday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Petrochko was able to garner her first individual title by her strength of play on a par five. She averaged 4.50 strokes on the longest holes at Sunnehanna Country Club, registering all five of her birdies over the event on a par five, including two on the longest hole of the course. The 15th, at 477 yards, saw Petrochko birdie the hole in both rounds. Brodahl entered play Tuesday as the individual leader but posted a bogey on three holes on the back nine as well as a double bogey. Brodahl moved back into a tie atop the individual leaderboard with Petrochko thanks to a birdie on No. 3, a 365-yard par four, but two holes later she bogeyed No. 5, a 165-yard par three, to allow Petrochko to stay in sole possession of the top of individual leaderboard.
AUTOMOBILE SUBURB
Also helping the Dukes in their best finish of the fall season Tuesday was junior
Lindsey Powanda, who notched her second consecutive top 20 finish individually. Powanda navigated the 5,972-yard course over 36 holes with a 161 to finish in a three-way tie for 17th with McKenzie Gustas of Saint Francis U and Jennifer Sorkin of Mount St. Mary's. Powanda finished in the top 10 individually on a par four, averaging 4.55 as none of the 56 participants in the tournament were able to average under par on the holes.
THE LINEUP
Petrochoko tied for team-high honors in pars (22) at the Red Flash Invitational with freshman
Abby Slankster, who tied for 27th individually with Jaelyn DeBoise of Stonehill at 165. Slankster opened with an 82 before handing in an 83 Tuesday and joined Naomi Yacyshen of Mount St. Mary's as one of three student-athletes to record a par on 22 holes. Brodahl led the field in the category with 24. Also for Duquesne, freshman
Katie Caryl finished at 169, two strokes ahead of freshman
Katie Fodale (171). Playing as an individual, freshman
Paige Meyers finished 36 holes at 175.
UP NEXT
Duquesne concludes its 2024 fall schedule by taking part in the UNCG Collegiate, which takes place Monday, Oct. 21, and Tuesday, Oct. 22, at Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.
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