(Pictured: The Blinn College women's golf team, pictured from left, Celia Harkrider, Yulisa Espinosa, Emily Madeley, Kimberly Tiefenbach, Holly Paterson, Cailey Nuckolls, and Jocelyn Nevarez)
The 13th-ranked Blinn College women's golf team continued its fall dominance with a third straight team victory when it captured the Thorntree Throwdown on Tuesday.
The cold, windy, and rainy five-team, two-day competition — played at the Thorntree Country Club in DeSoto, Texas — saw the Buccaneers emerge victorious in team play for the third consecutive tournament while also earning a third straight individual win.
Blinn finished two strokes ahead of Tyler Junior College at 105-over par.
Freshman Emily Madeley finished 17-over to earn the tournament medal, as she ousted 34 other golfers for the win.
(Pictured: Blinn College freshman Emily Madeley)
"We're all having a lot of fun right now," Madeley said. "I'm a very competitive person and I love winning, so being able to compete at this level is awesome. Plus, being a part of a team where we work together to succeed is amazing. Getting to root my teammates on is one of my favorite things to do."
Medeley's triumph made her the third different Buccaneer to emerge victorious during Blinn's string of team wins. Sophomore Holy Patterson and freshman Jocelyn Nevarez have also claimed medals this fall.
The Buccaneer women won their first-ever team title at the Jacksonville Tomato Bowl Classic on Sept. 25 and have since kept the momentum going.
"I'm really proud of how they've all competed," Blinn head coach David Johnson said. "We've had three different individuals win tournaments, and that's an impressive feat in itself, especially considering two of the players are freshmen and what that means for our future."
Other Bucs placing in the top 10 were sophomore Holly Paterson and freshman Jocelyn Nevarez, who finished in a three-way tie for seventh place at 29-over par.
"We all have confidence right now because of the wins, but we have to remember that just one shot can change things," Madeley added. "So, we have to stay with what we're doing right and keep building."
Blinn also performed well in the men's tournament, tying for first place with Tyler in the 10-squad tournament before falling short in a five-player playoff. Both the Buccaneers and Apaches finished 38-over par.
(Pictured: Blinn College sophomore Cameron Hubbard)
Blinn sophomore Cameron Hubbard was just four strokes off the lead and finished second at 6-over. Tyler's Max Reynolds earned the individual medal.
"We played well overall, we didn't make our putts down the stretch, and that's what cost us, but we performed really well," Hubbard said. "We just really need to break down our short game and start performing better in that area."
Other top-10 finishers for Blinn included sophomores Van Miller (9-over par) and Carson Wray (10-over), who tied for fifth and eighth respectively.
Johnson said the Buccaneer men are playing well, but a bit of bad luck is keeping them from reaching their full potential.
"I think we're just a little snake bitten lately," Johnson said. "If your putter is working, you have a lot of confidence in your game, but right now we're just not making a lot of putts. We tied for first, but lost in the playoff, and that's just how golf goes sometimes. But we were at the top of the end of it, and I'm proud of the guys for that.
The women's fall campaign has come to a close, while the men will finish up with the Southwest District Preview starting Thursday, Oct. 27, at The Hideout Golf Club in Brownwood, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
