Ashlyn Ledbetter
Staff Writer
Senior Michael Ordona led the way for men and women’s golf teams at the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship tournament Sunday through Tuesday, hosted by Cal Lutheran at Mountain Meadows Golf Course in Pomona.
Ordona shot 12 under par to finish first and set a SCIAC championship tournament record.
“I feel really proud of myself because I know how much work and passion I have put into my craft and with championships done I can only be glad all my hard work has paid off,” Ordona said. “I am proud of my team and all the hard work they have put in this whole year, none the less I couldn’t be happier.”
The men’s team came in fourth place overall with a total score of 2055. On day one of the championships, they scored 301, following the next day with 287 points and finishing up day three with 286 points.
The women’s team came in eighth place overall, scoring 2370. On day one of the championships they scored 334. On day two they scored 313 and in the final round they scored 323 points.
Scoring high in the rankings for the Leopards’ women was freshman Jordyn Janert, who finished in 15th place.
“I am really proud of the team and the improvements we have made since the beginning of the year,” Janert said. “For it being my first year at La Verne, I feel that I set the stakes high for the remainder of my college career and I’m excited to see what I and the team are capable of doing next year.”
Sophomore Daniela Soto faced some challenges this week but that did not stop her from playing her best game.
“I believe my biggest challenge this weekend was trying not to put too much mental pressure on myself to score well,” Soto said. “I personally believe I’ve been playing well these past two days and the team is in very high spirits being able to perform in the tournament.”
Also placing in the top 20 for the Leopards was freshman Jason Bustos, who believes the team did a great job coming together when they really needed to.
“I’m proud of my team for persevering through the last couple of months and giving it our all. Although we didn’t have a coach initially last semester, we did what we could with what we had and coordinated practices around our own schedules to work as a team,” Bustos said. “To be with the team we were last semester compared to where we are now makes me proud of my teammates for working hard even though we didn’t have an authoritative figure to lead us.”
This was the last tournament for golf this year. Graduating seniors for the Leopards are Kyle Hazlett and Ordona.
Ashlyn Ledbetter can be reached at ashlyn.ledbetter@laverne.edu.
Ashlyn Ledbetter, a sophomore communications major with an emphasis in public relations, is a staff writer for the Campus Times.
