Golf team swings into MIAC championship
Cover image credit: Mary Giorgi
The Wildcat golf team leads the pack in MIAC championship after first round
By Natalie Nemes
The Wildcats teed off over the weekend against the rest of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, gunning to take back first place after landing in second the year before. The St. Kate’s golf team has a recent history of high achievement in the MIAC championships, placing first in both 2021 and 2020. If the Wildcats win, they will automatically qualify for the NCAA championship in May. It would be the fourth national appearance for the team overall.
The MIAC golf championship takes place over three days, with one round held each day. Five golfers compete for each team, with the four best performances counting toward the team’s overall score. At the time of writing after Saturday’s round, the Wildcats sit at first with a score of 307, with Bethel trailing behind at 320 and Carleton currently in third at 330. The final round today will determine their ultimate standing.
Player Kyra Venne ‘25 (Exercise Science and Nutrition) said that finishing second last year after winning the MIAC championships the two prior years “definitely lit a fire under our butt … this year we are so hungry to go out and try to win.” Venne added that the loss was more of a motivator than anything else, inspiring the Wildcats to improve their game and return to the NCAA championships after missing that opportunity last year.
Head coach Mary Giorgi echoed a similar sentiment and said that the team is “very motivated to finish first this year.” To take home the MIAC title, she said they are focusing on day-to-day improvement and doing the right things with the eventual hope that they will come out on top.
The Wildcats have certainly entered the fall season swinging, placing first or second in every tournament so far. They even finished second amid Division II competitors — beating out eight DII teams — in the Minnesota State University/Concordia St. Paul Fall Brawl that took place Sept. 18-19.
According to Giorgi, building a team with the skill necessary to achieve this begins with “trying to recruit very hard-working players” and setting high expectations. First and second place go hand in hand with work ethic, she said. Giorgi describes the overall team atmosphere as “very supportive and encouraging but at the same time competitive.”
While the Wildcats are a DIII team, they push back against the narrative that this categorization inherently means they have a disadvantage. “We don’t really see ourselves down as a DIII team,” Venne said. The players even have a running joke that Giorgi is “a DI coach at the DIII level,” with practices being quite rigorous. Venne describes them as “beyond structured” — typically, the team will devote an hour of practice to the putting green and an additional hour chipping or working on pitch shots.
“Every now and then we’ll hit on the range, but a lot of our game is focused more towards short game just because that’s where the strokes really start to matter,” Venne said. In fact, to improve from last year to this year, Giorgi said that “the number one thing that we’ve been working on is pitching.” A pitch shot, usually played close to the green, is a type of stroke wherein the ball has a rapid ascent and descent and does not roll far after landing on the course.
Venne said the team has been focused on the technical aspects of the game as well, learning to strategize how to play each hole in order to finish the round with as few strokes as possible. The Wildcats also put in time in the weight room, pushing each other to their limits.
The Wildcats in a huddle on the edge of a golf course. Credit: Kyra Venne
If the team’s hard work pays off, the Wildcats will advance to the NCAA championship in Kentucky and square up against the best DIII teams in the country. Although the team’s “dream is to win the national championship someday,” Giorgi said that right now they are focused on trusting the work they have put in.
If the Wildcats secure a spot in the NCAA championship, Venne will return to the national stage after competing as a solo athlete in the tournament last year. “It was super cool to be able to represent St. Kate’s as an individual, but having the entire team there is just— there’s a completely different vibe,” she said. “And the atmosphere is just so much more alive. And it’s just cool to be there with your team and see that all of your hard work is coming together.”
Next up for the Wildcats is the Golfweek Challenge in Florida Oct. 15-17, to which the top 20 teams in the country receive an invite. This will be the first time St. Kate’s competes in this tournament, according to Giorgi, although they have been invited a few times in the past. For the team, Giorgi said, it represents an opportunity to prepare for nationals and solidify their ranking.
Anyone following the conference standings closely can look forward to a finalized result later today. For updates, check out the Wildcat golf webpage or follow the team on Instagram @stkatesgolf.
