The UW Oshkosh women’s golf team traveled to the La Crosse Country Club in Onalaska this past weekend for the Viterbo University Women’s Golf Invitational where they placed second after shooting 684. Among the schools competing with the Titans were Viterbo University, which had two teams playing, Clarke University, St. Norbert College and Wisconsin Lutheran College. Sophomore Micayla Richards said the country club is very scenic, but also tricky. “The La Crosse Country Club is a very beautiful,” Richards said. “But it is also a difficult golf course as the fairways are narrow, and the greens are challenging.” The reputation of the course held up, as a majority of the team didn’t finish where they wished after the first day. Richards said Coach Liza Ruetten’s encouragement and advice on fighting through adversity was fuel to propel the team to a better second day of the invitational. “Coach Ruetten does a great job at keeping us loose, telling us not to dwell on the negatives, but to look forward to the next round, and to make our adjustments,” Richards said. Ruetten’s words resonated with the ladies, as they cut 16 strokes off the board and ended up finishing 23 strokes from the lead. “This past weekend will help motivate us in our preparation for our next event,” Ruetten said. “We need to get better at playing more consistently to our potential.” The lone senior Samantha Kuik said she thinks she is a fine leader of the golf team. “I would consider myself to be one of the leaders, but I would also consider all of the other upper-classmen to be leaders as well,” Kuik said. Kuik also said the team is very close to one another. “We all have a good bond between us,” Kuik said. “We are all family to each other.” The team added three freshmen to the roster this year, which is more than the team has had the last two seasons combined. Junior Mckenzie Paul said she is impressed with how well the freshmen have made the transition into collegiate golf. “It’s different adding three new faces at once,” Paul said. “I would say that they fit in like they’ve been here for three years already.” The camaraderie that is found in the team is something that Paul said she believes will take them to the next level. “I think that having such a tight- knit group of girls will really play to our advantage when it comes to our competition,” Paul said. “We all have the same goals, and with each other’s help, we can accomplish them.” The Titans’ next event will take place on Sept. 25 at the Delbrook Golf Club in Delavan.