After five months filled with training, the Bulldog’s golf program returned to the course to continue their 2011-12 season. During their return, the Bulldogs welcomed several top five finishes.
The men’s golf program opened the spring with a first-place finish in the Wisconsin-Parkside Invitational March 25. Both Ferris State seniors Richard Weisenberger and Gary Bissell led the Bulldogs in Kenosha, Wis. by tying for fourth overall.
The Bulldog men went on to compete in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region Invitational II held in Georgetown, Ky. Ferris finished in fourth-place as a team April 1 and were led by FSU sophomore Trent Davidson who won the tournament outright.
Ferris travelled to Noblesville, Ind. to take part in the third NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region tournament of the season April 8-9. The Bulldogs finished in a tie for fifth-place.
The Bulldogs just returned from the Detroit Titans Invitational in Highland, Mich. April 13-14. Ferris faced a field of mostly Division I competition and finished in second-place, one stroke shy of winning the invitational.
“We played really well, it was a good motivator to compete against Division I teams.” FSU senior Garrett Simons said. “You have to check yourself against bigger schools.”
The Bulldogs will be back on the course April 21-22 in the Ashland Invitational.
“The ultimate goal is a national championship,” Simons said. “At any one time we’ve got five guys who will play their best.”
Ferris State will have to qualify for the NCAA Division II Midwest/South Central Super Regional first. The top five teams advance to the national tournament. The three round tournament will take place May 7-9.
The women’s golf program began spring play in the Northern Kentucky Invitational at Perry Park, Ky March 24-25. The women snagged a seventh-place finish out of a field of 20.
The lady Bulldogs captured two fifth-place finishes after the Northern Kentucky invitational. One at the Bellarmine Spring Invitational March 26 and the other in the Ohio Dominican Give 18 Fore Cancer Classic in Pataskala, Ohio.
The Bulldogs returned from Tiffin University April 16 with a second-place finish in the Tiffin Spring Invitational held April 15-16.
Ferris State was leading going into the second day of the Tiffin Invitational. Nine teams from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference competed against each other.
FSU senior Erin Fuchik said though it was disappointing to lose the lead they built at Tiffin, she believes this performance will help prepare the team for the upcoming GLIAC Championships.
“[Losing at Tiffin] is going to give us a spark this coming week at GLIACs. We know we can beat teams like Findlay, Ashland, and GVSU,” Fuchik said.
The GLIAC Championships will take place April 23-24 and will be hosted by Northwood University at Midland.