Emma Lee posted a team-best score this weekend in her first collegiate compeitition
Sturtevant, Wis. -- A new season got underway for the Thunder women's golf program this weekend, as Wheaton began its Fall 2025 schedule by heading up to Wisconsin to take part in Carthage College's Firebird Fall Classic. The season-opening event consisted of two rounds played across Friday and Saturday and Wheaton competed alongside 17 other Division III and NAIA programs. Four Thunder golfers took part in this weekend's tournament, and when all the scores had been tallied up, Wheaton came in 13th place out of the 18 participating squads.
The Thunder shot a two-day team total of 711 over the past two days, putting the quartet squarely in between Carthage's second team in 12th place and Concordia Wisconsin behind them in 14th. Wheaton improved upon its opening round score by 17 strokes in Saturday's second day of action, going from a 364 on Friday to a 347 in round two.
One of the freshman players on this year's roster,
Emma Lee, led the way for Wheaton in her collegiate debut this weekend, carding a two-round total mark of 169 to place T-45th in the 90-golfer field. Lee bettered her opening round tally of 87 by five strokes this afternoon, dropping the mark to an 82 (+10) in round two.
Fellow rookie
Ava Hartnett (
pictured right) was not far behind on the leaderboard, shooting a +15 and a +13 across the two sets of 18 to finish the competition with a combined tally of 172 and tie for 53rd place.
Entering the clubhouse six strokes behind Hartnett was her fellow first-year player
Abby Crutchley (
pictured left), who carded a 91 on day one and an 87 in the second round to conclude the weekend with a combined mark of 178.
One of the two upperclassman veterans in this year's squad,
Molly Holbert (
pictured below), tallied a two-day total of 192 after improving her first round performance by six strokes on Saturday.
Having shaken off the summer rust and returned to the course for a new season, the Wheaton women's squad will next take part in the Judson University Fall Invitational, which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday morning in Huntley.
