It was a successful past week for the Pitt State Gorillas as they traveled to the Missouri Southern State University Invite and finished fourth out of 18 teams. It was another strong weekend for the Gorillas, as they placed third overall in the Hrnciar Invite two weeks previously. On the women’s side, it hasn’t been all good news, as they placed 13th out of 14 teams in the Midwest Invite hosted by Central Missouri, before placing 18th out of 19 in the Missouri Western University Fall Regional Preview.
The men’s tournament at Missouri Southern started off to a rough foot, as the Gorillas sat all the way back at tenth overall after Monday’s end. Despite a slow start, the Gorillas were able to make up ground on Tuesday, climbing six spots for fourth place. Central Oklahoma claimed the team title with a score of -10, Washburn (+23), Missouri Western (+27), Pitt State (+28) and Central Missouri (+31) rounded out the top scoring teams at the MIAA competition.
It was sophomore Tyler Hardtarfer that led the Gorillas, finishing third overall with a score of -1. Senior Mason White came in tied for seventh, with a score of +4. This was Hardtarfer’s second top ten finish this year, while it was White’s first. Freshman David Hobart came in at tied for 31st overall, with a score of +10, sophomore Cooper Forth found himself tied for 50th overall with a score of +15, senior Theo Juhl came in tied for 90th with a score of +24, and junior Keaton Thissen rounded out the team at tied for 98th with a score of +30.
The women’s team would struggle to compete, playing in two tournaments in the same timeframe of the men’s team. Central Missouri would take the title at the Midwest Classic with a score of +31, while Southwest Oklahoma State would take the title at the Missouri Western Invite, scoring +40. The Gorillas would score +122 and +108 in each match, respectively.
In the Midwest Classic, junior Genevieve Akers paced the six-member squad with a 40th place individual finish +23. Junior Abby Ervin +30, 60th, freshman Katherine Adkins +33, 64th. Junior Kymbree Larance +37, 69th, freshman Charlotte Kerbs +45, 76th and freshman Madison Durr +50, 79th also competed in the tournament. In the Fall Regional Preview, Kerbs finished with +24, T-64, Akers at +26, T-77, Larance at +31, T-88 and Adkins at +38, T-101 to round out the competitors for Pitt State.
The women’s team will hit the road next weekend, when they play in the Tulsa Cup on Oct. 27, and 28. The men’s team will also compete in the Tulsa Cup, both teams will be out of competition until February.