Jack Hoover
SPORTS EDITOR
Indian Creek may be far from the UNO campus.
But for Omaha men’s and women’s golf, it felt just like home this past week.
In what was the first athletic event hosted by UNO in over five months, the Maverick Invitational at the Creek took place on Oct. 12 and 13. For both Maverick teams, this was a chance for them to prove themselves at home in their second (and last) competitive event of the fall season.
The golf teams were both coming off strong showings at separate invitationals in Iowa, with the men’s team competing in the Drake Invitational and the women’s team at the Iowa Western Invitational. While neither team took home first place, significant strides were made in the first action of the season.
With the Maverick invitational, the golfers on both teams looked to improve upon their return to play.
On the men’s side of the competition, the Mavericks split their team into two separate squads: an “A” team and a “B” team. Out of the two squads, the “A” team predictably led the way, as they finished with a score of 913 to the “B” teams 968. Unfortunately for the Mavericks, the “A” team’s score would not be enough to get them the victory, as they finished fourth overall. The visiting Bellevue University Bruins took the win with a score of 872.
It was still an impressive individual tournament for many Mavericks, most notably for sophomore Josh Peters. Peters finished with a score of 221, placing him seventh in the individual standings and beating out all other Maverick golfers.
On the women’s side of the competition, the invitational looked slightly different. The Maverick invitational was essentially a duel, as the only teams present were Omaha and North Dakota State.
While the Mavericks did finish second to the Bisen, losing by a score of 938 to 960, UNO golfer Sophomore Mandi Granato took home the top overall spot with a score of 228 during the three rounds.
The Maverick invitational proved to be a fitting finale for a shortened fall golf season for the men’s team. Women’s golf had one more invitational at Missouri State from Oct. 19-20. The men’s team will get back underway in February, where they will tee off at The Joust at Goose Creek, an event hosted by California Baptist University.
