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| The MCC women’s golf team won the Phoenix College Invitational. (From top left clockwise) Sara Falkenburg, Coach John Guerrero, Olivio Campos, Jamie Burke, Jade Porter, Marylou Starr, and Meghan Steffey. |
| Photos
by David Soltesz |
MCC golf unbeaten Loraine German
Mesa Legend
Mesa Community College’s women golf team has won every tournament since the conference started play this year and the Phoenix College Invitational was no exception.
In the celebrated tournament at Encanto Golf Course in Phoenix on March 23 and 24, the MCC team won, not only the overall tournament, but also placed MCC golfers in the first three individual standings.
During the tournament, the playing conditions were difficult on both days due to the winds that blew 15 to 30 mph.
Despite the weather, two MCC golfers battled for the top spot as Sara Falkenberg, a freshman from Sweden, and sophomore Jade Porter, ended up in a tie for first place. Falkenberg shot a 78-80 against a 76-82 from Porter, and Falkenberg took home the first place medal after winning a scorecard playoff over Porter.
Mesa Community College shot a 638 as a team and their closest competitor was Gateway Community College, who obtained second place with a 693 which was the closest any team was to MCC throughout the tournament. The largest lead they had was an impressive 105 strokes ahead of the next closest team.
“At this point the Mesa team players are competing against each other,” explained Head Coach John Guerrero. All six players in the team are ranked in the first eleven spots in the conference out of 42 that are competing this year. The first three spots all belong to the Mesa team.
The rest of the team consists of Jamie Burke who shot a 178, Meghan Steffey with a 177, Marylou Starr, who finished third individually with a 160, and the returning all-American Olivia Campos, who placed fifth individually shooting 162.
MCC will be hosting a tournament on April 19 and 20 at the Dobson Ranch Golf Course.
Campos, the team’s captain, just signed a full scholarship with the University of Illinois. Guerrero described her as strong, independent, someone who leads by example and is respected by her fellow players.
Every year Guerrero recruits very good student-athletes who want to take the game to the next level, he says. MCC’s women golf team has won the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference championship since 2001. “This team works harder than anybody else in the conference. This is the strongest they have ever been,” said Guerrero.
The team has never won every invitational in the conference in a given year, but this year MCC is four out of four and Guerrero is confident that it will change this year. Guerrero concluded by saying, "If we play to our potential we can win a national title."
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