A rainy day on the golf course couldn’t stop the Waynesburg University men’s and women’s golf teams from teeing up Saturday, April 6. 

The men’s golf team took eighth place out of nine participating teams at the Thiel College Invitational at Avalon Golf and Country Club in Hermitage.

“Some days, you just don’t play your best, but we just need to continue to improve before PACs,” said head coach Sam Jones.

The team’s placement was disappointing, but freshman Luke Diel’s performance was a bright spot for the Yellow Jackets. Diel carded a team-best score of 84. He tied for the 28th spot in the tournament.

“He did well. He didn’t get much of a chance to warm up, and the driving range wasn’t available, but under the conditions, he did well,” said Jones. 

Sophomore Christopher Sekanick shot an 89, and junior Alex Orlandini posted a 93. 

“The conditions were pretty tough. The fairways weren’t bad, but once you hit it into the rough that was where it got challenging. And the greens were some of the toughest I’ve ever had to putt on,” said Orlandini.

Grove City College claimed the team title, and California University of Pennsylvania’s Mike Chantoy outshot all other golfers with a score of 71.

The conditions played a role in the scores, but Jones refused to use the weather as an excuse for the Yellow Jackets finish.

“Everyone plays on the same course. Everyone putts on the same greens,” said Jones.

Battling the tough conditions, the team walked away from the event disappointed, but determined to work hard.

The women’s golf team competed in the Westminster Spring Invitational, but struggled on the links of the New Castle Country Club.

The Yellow Jackets placed fourth in the four-team tournament. Point Park University won the team title and St. Vincent sophomore Sydney Ball shot an 11-over par 83 to capture the individual title.

Waynesburg sophomore Deanna Nagel had the best performance of the day for the Yellow Jackets. She finished the event with a final tally of 105 strokes.

Rounding out the team for the Yellow Jackets were freshman Samantha Pero, senior Reagan Zeppernick and junior Kara Compton.

Like the men, the women’s faced difficult conditions, including wind and rain. 

“The course was really wet. That hurt the distance that people were able to hit. The ball didn’t roll a lot, either, so that made it difficult,” said Jones. 

The event was the women’s final competition before the PAC championships April 13.

The team still has room for improvement, according to Jones. 

“We want to keep improving before PAC’s, but with this being the last match, we just have to see what we can do in practice,” he said.

While both teams had disappointing days, Jones is confident the players are better prepared for upcoming events.

“Golf is a funny sport. You work really hard to improve and learn the game all season, but sometimes when you get out there, things just go wrong,” said Jones. “That’s all part of the game.”