Smith, McLean lead Trojans to success in Edmonton
EDMONTON, ALTA., (Sept. 15, 2019) — Who says sleeping on a lead is hard?
The SAIT Trojans men's golf team led after Day 1, and again at the end of Day 2, as they came away with a first-place finish at this weekend's Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) North Regionals Tournament, hosted by MacEwan University at RedTail Landing Golf Club in Edmonton, Alta.
"We have put together a solid 1-through-9 lineup, and today, it was a different set of guys leading the way than we had on Saturday," said Trojans head coach, Stephen Yanitski. "Because of our depth, it allows us to come at teams from a different angle on any given day, and we did that this weekend."
Sunday's low rounds for the Trojans came from Dakota Smith (2nd year, Edmonton, Alta., Bachelor of Business Administration) and Cole Keebler (2nd year, Calgary, Business Administration).
Smith fired a 2-under 70, which included three birdies on the difficult back nine, to give him of score of even par for the two-day event (74-70). He finished as the top Trojan at fourth overall.
Keebler did not have an easy go of it on Saturday, shooting an 8-over 80. On Sunday, however, he made amends by carding a 1-under 71 in a round in which he made four birdies to finish 12th.
Matthew Cook (1st year, Airdrie, Alta.. Business Administration) shot a 72-75 to finish in seventh place, while teammate Jared Wylie (1st year, Tumbler Ridge, BC, EMT – Paramedic) shot a 77-78 to place 14th.
The women's team was led by freshman Carey McLean (1st year, Deer Valley, Sask., Travel and Tourism), who shot an 80 on Sunday to finish the two-day event in second place (83-80).
"She put in a veteran performance one day before she turns 18 years of age," laughed Yanitski. "She's making a name for herself in the ACAC circuit already, with her solid tee-to-green play. With a tournament under her belt now, she'll be even more confident in her game going forward."
Teammates Tashel Scantlebury (5th year, Foxwarren, Man., Community Economic Development) and Karmen Mooney (5th year, Squamish, BC, Construction Project Management) both stumbled a bit on Sunday, shooting a 95 and 101 respectively, but still the women's side finished in a tie for second place.
Despite their scores, Yanitski glowed about their performances on the weekend.
"Karmen had a tough front nine today, but shot 44 on the back – and that was with an 8. Tash was a combined 11-over on two holes on Saturday, and responded by going 1-under on those same two holes today," Yanitski said. "Would they have liked to post better scores? I'm sure they would tell you that, but they showed a lot of fight and never gave up and I am proud of them for that. The way our women's team played this weekend has put us on a lot of people's radar."
The teams will now prepare to play host, as they welcome the ACAC to the South Regionals next weekend at their home course - Valley Ridge Golf Club.
"It was a good start for us to have a solid result on a different course than we have been practicing on, and next weekend, we are going to continue to use it as preparation for the ACAC Championships," Yanitski stated. "We won't take anything for granted considering it's our home track, but we'll keep our foot on the gas pedal and see how things turn out."