Wagner competes in national event

From Austin Post-Bulletin

Wagner competes in national event
By Ben Pherson

Austin High graduate Catherine Wagner is a member of the women's golf team at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Wagner will be a sophomore for the Blugolds this fall.

She recently was selected to play in the First Annual Hooters Women's Collegiate Team Championship, presented by the National Golf Coaches Assocation. Wagner's teammate, Katie Maurer, also was selected to play in the event.

The tournament brought together many of the best players in all divisions of college golf. The event was in Achasta, Ga., and featured 55 two-person teams. Each team paired players from the same university in a 54-hole stroke play event.

The format of the Championship was Day 1 (Aug. 3): Alternate Shot; Day 2 (Aug. 4): Best Ball; and Day 3 (Aug. 5): Aggregate score of the two players. Teams were composed of players from all levels of collegiate golf, including 42 Division I, four Division II, six Division III and one NAIA program.

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Wagner and Maurer tied for 40th among the 55 teams. They defeated all but one of the Division III teams (Gustavus Adolphus) and even finished ahead of several Division I teams. Wagner and Maurer finished at 31 over par and improved each day of the tournament.

Last season, Maurer and Wagner led the Blugolds, averaging 79.5 and 80 strokes per round, respectively. Maurer won three tournaments, including claiming WIAC Championship medalist honors, while Wagner won one tournament and finished in the top five at four other tournaments.

UW-Eau Claire will open its fall season Sept. 4-5 at home during the Doug Georgianni Memorial Invitational. The two-round event will be held at Wild Ridge Golf Course in Eau Claire.

Wagner and her Blugolds teammates will make one appearance in Minnesota during the fall season. They play at the Division II Mustang Invitational (Southwest State) in Marshall at Marshall Country Club.

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Josh Gunderson, a 2006 graduate of Pacelli High School and a former standout at St. John's University, recently ran in a 10-mile road race held at Lumberjack Days in Stillwater. Gunderson turned in an exceptional performance, competing against more than 1,000 runners. Out of 1,048 finishers, Gunderson was 13th. Gunderson graduated from St. John's, where he ran track and cross country for four years, last fall. He now lives in the Twin Cities.

The Austin High football team opens practice next week. New coach Matt Schmit and the rest of the coaching staff are conducting their big youth camp this week. It runs through Friday. The Packers open the season on Friday, Sept. 3 at Red Wing High School. Their first home game is Friday, Sept. 10 at Hass Stadium against Rochester John Marshall. Other home games are against Mankato East (Sept. 24), Mankato West (Oct. 1) and Winona (Oct. 15).

Is your kid playing college athletics? How about your neighbor's kid? If you know of any former area standout currently competing in college athletics, please contact Ben Pherson at bpherson@postbulletin.com