Last weekend, the men’s and women’s golf teams took one step closer to ending their 2021-2022 seasons. The men competed in the 2022 MAC Championships as the women faced Misericordia University and King’s College in a tri-match.

After the first day of the championship, the men’s team placed fourth out of nine teams overall with a score of 329, trailing Stevens, Arcadia and Misericordia. Senior Michael Sherrick led all Colonels after the first day with a score of 81. Following Sherrick are junior Andrew Finke and first-year Max Cocchi who both had a score of 84.

After the end of the second day, the Colonels held their fourth place spot and finished with a final score of 672. Sherrick continued as the lead scorer for Wilkes with 162 and placed 12th overall out of 43 golfers in the championship. First-year Cole Jungwirth was right behind Sherrick as he placed 13th in a two-way tie with a score of 165.

“We had a rough start yesterday,” said head coach Guy Rothery. “We had a few rookies in their first MAC championship who I think were a little nervous and the conditions weren’t as good, but as a whole I thought we played pretty well.”

The men’s team headed into the championships with a record of 6-8 on the season.

In the fall portion of their season, the Colonels found themselves splitting their matches to earn a 3-3 record before fall break. However, the spring portion has proven difficult for the team as they sit at a record of 3-5 in the second half of their season.

Despite their struggles in the spring, the Colonels still had their bright moments throughout the year. The team began both portions of their season with a win, defeating rival King’s College 327-351 in the fall opener and Misericordia 328-337 in the spring opener. In a 27-hole matchup

at the Glenmaura Invitational, Finke shot a 119 to place him fourth overall out of 30 golfers. His performance led Wilkes to a third place finish out of six teams and earned him MAC Freedom men’s golfer of the week honors.

“It was impressive to see the improvement in everyone’s game,” said Sherrick. “Everyone who plays golf has good and bad rounds but it seems like everyone on the team has improved their game on some level over the course of the season.”

In their tri-match against Misericordia and Kings, the women’s team defeated Misericordia 435-457 and lost against Kings 435-417. Senior Sarah Sorber led all Colonels in scoring by shooting 96 on the day, placing fourth out of 16 golfers. Senior Gwen MacConnell followed Sorber with a score of 106 and led senior Cassidy Taylor’s score of 108, senior Marrisa Korea’s score of 125 and junior Cally Erickson’s score of 139.

After their tri-match, the women’s team enters their MAC Championship with a record of 3-11. The Colonels found the majority of their success in the fall by defeating Misericordia 444-468 in their first match on September 12 and the Cougars once again on Oct. 9 by a score of 411-433. The spring portion of their season has been challenging, as the Colonels have lost to all four teams they have faced in both of the tri-matches they have played in.

“I think we go into every match with the mindset of giving it our all and trying our best,” said Sorber. “One of the most important things is not letting the game get the best of you and always continuing to have fun no matter what.”

The men’s team will play two more matches before their season is complete, as they face the University of Scranton on April 26 and Misericordia University on April 29. The women’s team will wrap up their season with their MAC Championships, which will occur on April 30 and May 1.