By Kristen Kirtley, Senior Reporter
Northwestern’s men’s and women’s golf teams left Friday and headed to Hot Springs, Arkansas for the Great American Conference championship.
The men who competed at the conference championship are: Cade Seymour, Keenan Hofstad, Ryder Heuston, Logan Johnson and Max Garza. The women who competed are: Jaden Castle, Madison Masch, Samantha Friday, Madison Kerr and Angela Egger.
Both teams competed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The Hot Springs Country Club has 36 holes on the course, which allows the men to golf on one side and the women to golf on the other.
“Hot Springs is an awesome place, and they do a really good job hosting for us,” said Daniel Campbell, head coach of the men’s and women’s Northwestern golf teams.
Campbell said this year will be the last year the conference championship will take place at Hot Springs.
“As a program, we’ve been playing some really solid golf,” Campbell said. “As a coach here, I’m extremely proud of the work my kids have been putting in to prepare themselves.”
Campbell said many of the golfers on both the men’s and women’s teams put in more hours of golf each week than he asks of them.
“It’s been a team effort across the board,” Campbell said. “My assistant coach, Zack Quinn, has been really awesome. He’s done so much for this program in his one year here.”
The women’s golf team set a school record at the last tournament the team played in. The team has also set the one-day scoring record, the two-day scoring record and the one-day-individual scoring record during this season. Three of the members on the women’s team, who are seniors this year, have shot their career-best-tournament this year as well.
“When the hard work starts to pay off, it just makes you want to work even harder,” Campbell said.
Campbell said the men’s team beat a few teams in the tournament last week that the team had been losing to previously this season.
“We have some guys that are really committed,” Campbell said. “The results are starting to come in.”
Campbell also wanted to recognize the red-shirt freshman on the men’s team for his work ethic this season, as well as seniors Joey Nixon and Zack Caldwell for their contributions this season.
“We’ve taken this program to a new level, which has been really exciting,” Campbell said. “We’re excited to keep building on what we’ve been doing here.”