Anderson, SC- Coker finished up play at the South Atlantic Conference Championships. The Cobras finished in 10th place and shot 956 points as a team. Coker shot 324, 312, and 320 over the three rounds.
Jenna Werle wrapped up her championships tied for 31st place and shot an 83 on her final day. Werle completed the tournament shooting a 238 and being awarded the 2023 Wealth Enhancement Group Elite Award. Daniella Gyoni had herself an impressive day shooting a team low for the day with a 76 through the 18 holes she as well finished with a 240 through three rounds. Haylie George shot 82 through 18 holes. She shot 241 in total and tied for 37th. Mack Bailey shot another 81 through all 72 holes which helped combined for a total of 243. Kathleen Escobar finished her last day of the tournament with an 81 and shot 244 through the three days of competition.
Men's and Women's Golf Coach John Hackney had this to say:
"We really came out on fire today, which was our goal," Coker head coach John Hackney said. "Through about six holes, we were even parred as a team, which was as good as anyone, including the host, Anderson, who is ranked 5th nationally and won the event by 36 strokes. Our team was very focused, which helped us rocket up the leaderboard. We had gone from 9th place to 6th at that point.
"However, we dropped some shots on 16, 17, and 18 (the Cobras started on No. 10). We really didn't get anything going on our back nine, but still had a great chance to finish 8th, but struggled on the last two holes.
"The SAC Championships was a microcosm of our season. We were very good at times during the year but just lacked consistency. We were the best team on the course early Tuesday, so, for a team that was not very good last year, that's really something to hang our hat on. This team posted the lowest scoring average (315) in school history, so these ladies should take pride in helping our program take the next steps to be a contender.
We also won the Converse Fall Invitational this year, which was a major accomplishment, and the ladies on this team are now all over the Coker Women's Golf Record Book, which is sensational!
"It was really great to see Jenna play well this week. She has so much talent and is a wonderful young lady. Winning the Elite 23 Award for the top GPA (4.0) of the SAC Championship participants is an incredible honor, and she earned it!
"It was also nice to see Daniella put together a solid round of 76. She made the turn at even, so I was hoping she was going to go under par for the first time in her career, but this bodes well for the future because she now knows she can compete with the best in the SAC and region.
"Kathleen (a grad student) didn't have her best event after being our top player this season, but she and Jenna were awesome leaders and will be missed greatly next year. I am so grateful for all they did for our program.
"Mack and Haylie were very good players at times this season and I know they will be ready to take it to the next level when they return next fall. The future is bright for these Cobras!"
