Ashlyn Ledbetter
Staff Writer
The La Verne men’s and women’s golf teams placed fourth at the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference No. 2 tournament at Mountain Meadows Golf Club on Saturday and Sunday.
The Leopards shot 578 as a team, led by senior Michael Ordona, who shot a 3 under par 137.
“In the beginning I played terribly due to the negative mindset I stumbled upon in the first half of the first round,” Ordona said. “Then I was able to lock in and play to a level I needed to be at to put up a good score for my team.”
Other players on the team commented on the course’s condition after the stormy weather just days before the tournament.
“The course was still extremely wet from all the rain we’ve had lately, so it was tough to avoid the mud on the course,” senior Kyle Hazzlet said. “Trying to find a dry spot to hit from was pretty difficult.”
The Leopards were falling down the ranks on day one but were able to turn things around on day two. Sophomore Connor Askey was just one of many players who was able to score better on day two.
“At the moment I feel like my game is in a good place. I feel like I’m playing better than what my scores show. I think it’s only a matter of time before all the pieces come together,” Askey said. “This season we got off to a good start as we have started challenging and beating the top teams in the conference who have been way ahead of La Verne in recent years. I feel like the team this year is the best we’ve had since my time at La Verne.”
Freshman Jordyn Janert led the Leopards’ women on day one with a score of 77. She said she is eager to compete and feels the team is excited to see their progress this season.
“This season I want to keep moving up in the rankings. I’ve fallen back but am looking to regain those spots. If I perform well enough I might have a chance at competing beyond SCIAC Champs as an individual, so that’s also my goal,” Janert said. “I am excited for SCIAC Championships. It’s a fun course and I tend to do well there. I think the team as a whole is looking forward to seeing how much we can continue to improve.”
The Leopards are currently third in SCIAC, behind Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer, going into their final tournament, the SCIAC Championships, which will be hosted by Cal Lutheran April 23-25.
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.
