Simpson College men’s and women’s golf teams competed in the annual Storm Spring Invite on Wednesday, April 16, at the Indianola Country Club. Finishing with a season-low of 297, the Storm men claimed the victory ahead of six other schools, including conference foe Loras College.
Junior Bradley Kofoed took home the crown after shooting a season-best 72, including four birdies. Kofoed spoke about the challenges he faced on the course and how he managed to persevere.
“The biggest challenge I faced was the adversity of making some bad bogeys and understanding that recovering from those mental mistakes would help me perform my best,” he said. With how mentally demanding the sport can get, Kofoed finds it’s best to prepare for meets by “focusing on playing my golf game and executing the shots we needed on the course.”
Finishing individually in first place was a nice touch, but Kofoed looked to his team captains to help lead the team to victory. “Blake Perrin and Jack Wahman are the captains on the team, and they play an important role in helping us mentally prepare for tournaments and focus on our own golf game,” Kofoed said.
Junior and co-captain Jack Wahman finished runner-up to Kofoed on the leaderboard, shooting a 73. After some early struggles on the course, Wahman pushed through the challenges and found a way to recover in the end.
“I faced challenges with how I was putting on the greens, and mentally it was frustrating. I was able to get past that and finish my round solid,” Wahman said. He praises the team’s efforts and looks forward to seeing how they can close out the season.
“As a team, we played solid and shot our best team score all year,” Wahman said. “I think the team has continued to improve with our team connecting with one another. We are very supportive of each other and feel that we can beat our opponents.”
The men round up their season with the American Rivers Conference Championship on April 27-29 at Glen Oaks Country Club in West Des Moines. Another team’s season came to an end as the women competed at the Storm Spring Invite, finishing in third with a score of 344.
Senior Maddy Streicher led the women with an 84, finishing 6th on the leaderboard. It was a bittersweet moment for Streicher, as it was the last golf meet of her collegiate career.
“Golf has a huge mental component, and all day I battled with making every shot count and making up strokes wherever I could,” Streicher said, discussing the challenges she found on the course. “We’ve had a lot of windy meets this season, with the home meet being no exception, and I am amazed how quickly everyone adapts with no complaints.”
With the women’s season ending, the Storm looks toward next year to continue the growth of returning leaders. “The team will only have one newcomer, so we will have a lot of returners and experience on the team,” Streicher stated. “I think we have several girls with the potential to shoot in the 70s and make a splash in the American Rivers Conference.”
