By Dylan Lux
The Youngstown State University men’s and women’s golf teams wrapped up three days of competition April 23 to 25, as both the men and women fought for positions in the Horizon League Championships.
Both teams played in Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida, where each team competed against conference opponents.
The men’s team finished eighth out of ten Horizon League teams, with a total score of 905. The race was tightly contested, as the point differential between eighth and fourth place was only four strokes.
The highest-placing Penguin was fifth-year senior Bryan Kordupel at three-over par, with a total score of 219. He had a strong final round, finishing with a 70, which put him two-under par on the final day of competition.
The women’s team finished fifth out of eight Horizon League teams, with a total score of 941. Senior Puthita Khuanrudee was the highest placing Penguin, as she finished second out of over 40 competitors. She finished with a 227, at seven-over par, just four strokes behind a first-place finish.
The teams competed in multiple invitationals to prepare for the Horizon League Championships, including the YSU Spring Invitational against Cleveland State University and Saint Francis University on April 7.
The team won the invitational with a total score of 307. Junior Titita Loudtragulngam finished with the best score of the match, with a total of 75.
The women’s team also finished fifth in the Navy Spring Invitational on April 15 and 16. Junior Madison Smithco was placed highest for Youngstown State, with a score total of 154, finishing ten-over par. The team scored a 633 over the two-day event.
For the men’s side, the group finished in eighth place at Northern Kentucky University’s The Jewell.
The team finished with a total score of 878, Kordupel placed highest for YSU, as he tied for ninth with a total score of 214 and finished one-over par.
The team also participated in the Wright State Invitational at Heatherwoode Golf Club in Springboro on April 16 and 17.
Out of 11 teams, the men placed sixth with a total score of 921. Junior Dean Austalosh and Kordupel both finished with scores of 224, tying them for fifth overall at the tournament.
Nate Miklos, head coach of the women’s golf program, spoke about the team’s preparation for the conference championships.
“Throughout the season we’ve worked really hard, so most of the preparation is already done,” Miklos said. “This week has kind of been a balance between giving the players some freedom to work on things they need to, and giving them a little bit of downtime with the travel schedule.”
Kordupel explained how the men’s side of the team prepared for the long road trip.
“Our coach does a great job of scheduling out the year, and we actually play two events back-to-back before we go to conference, so this’ll be three tournaments in the last three weeks,” Kordupel said. “It gets a little hectic but you definitely aren’t practicing as much and you get more rest in between your tournaments.”
Statistics and updates for both teams can be found on ysusports.com
