Central Michigan University Athletics
Tuesday, October 1
Port Clinton, Ohio (Catawba Island Club)
9 a.m.
Central Michigan University
at
Rocket Classic
CMU freshman Ella Zanatta (right) finished runner-up on Tuesday at the Toledo Rocket Classic. It was Zanatta's third top-10 finish in three career tournaments.
Zanatta, Katona Post Top-10 Finishes to Lead Women's Golf at Toledo Rocket Classic
10/1/2024 4:56:00 PM | Women's Golf
PORT CLINTON, Ohio – Some very, very good signs for the Central Michigan women's golf team.
Freshman Ella Zanatta placed second, Hailey Katona tied for fifth, and Rachel Niskanen tied for 14th as the Chippewas closed play on Tuesday at the 54-hole Rocket Classic at Catawba Island Club.
The Chippewas posted their second straight 308 team score to finish with a 919 total and in fifth place in the 10-team field.
"I think we're a bit sour about the result as a team, but obviously there are some good things to take away and some things to gain a ton of confidence from," CMU coach Ryan Williams said. "It's a young group that is going to get better and better as long as they stick with it. We had three freshmen in the lineup this week.
"It's one of those things that can be a little frustrating, but it's an optimistic place for us to be. We're young and we're putting ourselves in position where we can be competitive and we're learning some lessons. We're hungry to do better, get better, and have better results. It's definitely something that we can build on and we can use this experience to be better next time."
Zanatta, one of those three freshmen, continued her remarkable rookie season, shooting her second straight 3-over 75 on Tuesday to finish with a 6-over 222 total, one shot behind medalist Mackenzie McRee of Ohio.
Zanatta tied for first in the Chippewas' season-opening tournament and tied for ninth two weeks ago in an 83-player field at Penn State. The Rocket Classic field comprised 59 players.
"She started fast, she was 2-under through four holes," Williams said. "She had a couple of hiccups in the middle stretch on the tough part of the golf course which can rattle a lot of players, especially young ones, but she didn't let that derail her round. She didn't let it linger.
"She bounced right back and made a couple of pars on some really tough holes and then played steady on the way in. She played really steady golf. If you watch her play golf, she plays like she's a lot older than she is. She's very mature, she's wise and she knows how to manage herself around the golf course. If she makes a mistake, she knows how to get herself through it and she knows how to make some birdies to bounce back and that's a good recipe and the reason why she's playing the way she is right now."
Katona, a graduate student and the lone upperclassman in the CMU lineup, posted her second straight 2-over 74 after an opening-round 77. She finished 9-over 225 and her tie for fifth equaled her best finish as a Chippewa. Her 74 is a career low as a Chippewa.
"It's a good sign for Hailey," Williams said. "Good things will come to her as long as she stays with it and she stays patient and positive and I think she saw that today.
"She was 3-under through six holes and she had it going. She had a quick slipup for a couple of holes but then hung on for a solid round. If you ask her, she wasn't ecstatic with that score or the result, but those numbers are good steps in the right direction and she's getting more and more confident. She'll keep getting better and hopefully we'll see more putts rolling in for her as well."
Niskanen, a sophomore, opened on Monday with 36-hole 152 total, equaling her career best. She closed with a 5-over 77 on Tuesday to finish at 229. It marked her second top-20 finish of the season.
"Today she got off to a tough start and she hung in there and she did exactly what we ask them to do which is take advantage of opportunities and keep reminding yourself that you're going to get chances, just keep battling and stay positive," Williams said. "She made a couple birdies on her incoming nine that were huge for us and huge for her to see that even if you get off to a tough start you don't have to play bad all day.
"Those are solid scores, but I think if you ask her, she'll tell you she's capable of more and expects to do a little better than that, which is a good thing. She sees that she's capable of it and she's getting more experience and putting herself in situations more often and learning how to get through those."
Also for the Chippewas on Tuesday, freshman Brooke Morris shot 85 to finish at 248 and tied for 43rd, while Lauren Davis, also a freshman, shot 82 to come in at 249 and tied for 47th.
CMU's Lexi Schulman, a sophomore playing as an individual, shot 80 on Tuesday to finish in 39th place with a 240 total. Schulman's second-round 75 tied her career best.
Ohio closed with a 295 team total to finish at 906 for a three-shot victory over Akron.
The Chippewas are scheduled to play in the Western Michigan Bronco Fall Classic at The Moors Golf Club in Portage on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 7-8.
Freshman Ella Zanatta placed second, Hailey Katona tied for fifth, and Rachel Niskanen tied for 14th as the Chippewas closed play on Tuesday at the 54-hole Rocket Classic at Catawba Island Club.
The Chippewas posted their second straight 308 team score to finish with a 919 total and in fifth place in the 10-team field.
"I think we're a bit sour about the result as a team, but obviously there are some good things to take away and some things to gain a ton of confidence from," CMU coach Ryan Williams said. "It's a young group that is going to get better and better as long as they stick with it. We had three freshmen in the lineup this week.
"It's one of those things that can be a little frustrating, but it's an optimistic place for us to be. We're young and we're putting ourselves in position where we can be competitive and we're learning some lessons. We're hungry to do better, get better, and have better results. It's definitely something that we can build on and we can use this experience to be better next time."
Zanatta, one of those three freshmen, continued her remarkable rookie season, shooting her second straight 3-over 75 on Tuesday to finish with a 6-over 222 total, one shot behind medalist Mackenzie McRee of Ohio.
Zanatta tied for first in the Chippewas' season-opening tournament and tied for ninth two weeks ago in an 83-player field at Penn State. The Rocket Classic field comprised 59 players.
"She started fast, she was 2-under through four holes," Williams said. "She had a couple of hiccups in the middle stretch on the tough part of the golf course which can rattle a lot of players, especially young ones, but she didn't let that derail her round. She didn't let it linger.
"She bounced right back and made a couple of pars on some really tough holes and then played steady on the way in. She played really steady golf. If you watch her play golf, she plays like she's a lot older than she is. She's very mature, she's wise and she knows how to manage herself around the golf course. If she makes a mistake, she knows how to get herself through it and she knows how to make some birdies to bounce back and that's a good recipe and the reason why she's playing the way she is right now."
Katona, a graduate student and the lone upperclassman in the CMU lineup, posted her second straight 2-over 74 after an opening-round 77. She finished 9-over 225 and her tie for fifth equaled her best finish as a Chippewa. Her 74 is a career low as a Chippewa.
"It's a good sign for Hailey," Williams said. "Good things will come to her as long as she stays with it and she stays patient and positive and I think she saw that today.
"She was 3-under through six holes and she had it going. She had a quick slipup for a couple of holes but then hung on for a solid round. If you ask her, she wasn't ecstatic with that score or the result, but those numbers are good steps in the right direction and she's getting more and more confident. She'll keep getting better and hopefully we'll see more putts rolling in for her as well."
Niskanen, a sophomore, opened on Monday with 36-hole 152 total, equaling her career best. She closed with a 5-over 77 on Tuesday to finish at 229. It marked her second top-20 finish of the season.
"Today she got off to a tough start and she hung in there and she did exactly what we ask them to do which is take advantage of opportunities and keep reminding yourself that you're going to get chances, just keep battling and stay positive," Williams said. "She made a couple birdies on her incoming nine that were huge for us and huge for her to see that even if you get off to a tough start you don't have to play bad all day.
"Those are solid scores, but I think if you ask her, she'll tell you she's capable of more and expects to do a little better than that, which is a good thing. She sees that she's capable of it and she's getting more experience and putting herself in situations more often and learning how to get through those."
Also for the Chippewas on Tuesday, freshman Brooke Morris shot 85 to finish at 248 and tied for 43rd, while Lauren Davis, also a freshman, shot 82 to come in at 249 and tied for 47th.
CMU's Lexi Schulman, a sophomore playing as an individual, shot 80 on Tuesday to finish in 39th place with a 240 total. Schulman's second-round 75 tied her career best.
Ohio closed with a 295 team total to finish at 906 for a three-shot victory over Akron.
The Chippewas are scheduled to play in the Western Michigan Bronco Fall Classic at The Moors Golf Club in Portage on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 7-8.
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