Gaffney, Bergeson lead Storm to fifth at Mount Mercy

MARION, Iowa – On the strength of a final-round 81 by Jennifer Gaffney, the Simpson women's golf team took fifth place of 19 teams at the Mount Mercy Fall Invitational at Hutners Ridge Golf Course, which wrapped up Saturday.

The Storm held their position after starting the tournament in fifth, posting a 349 on Friday and a 338 on Saturday to finish at 687 for the weekend. Simpson was the top finisher among Iowa Conference schools, as Central came in seventh (705), Luther 10th (721), Coe 12th (732) and Buena Vista 17th (824).

Grand View won the tournament with a 655.

Gaffney's 81 on Saturday was Simpson's low round for the tournament. The defending Iowa Conference Champion carded an 85 on Friday for 166 on the weekend, good for 11th place.

Stacy Bergeson found herself just two strokes behind Gaffney, firing back-to-back 84s to close the weekend at 168, tied for 15th overall.

Molly Hill improved two strokes on Saturday, finishing in a tie for 29th (89-87-176).  Jessica Lerdal also shaved two strokes to tie for 37th (91-89-180), while freshman Coltyn Hunter turned in Simpson's third-best score of the final round to tie for 40th (95-86-181).

Next up for the Storm is a trip to the Central Invitational at Bos Landen in Pella, Iowa on Sept. 6-7.