Hickstein leads Eagles in Hardrocker Invite

By Kennie Gable

The CSC women’s golf team are back on top after finishing first as a team at the South Dakota Mines Hardrocker Fall Invite in Rapid City on Monday and Tuesday. 

The team took first in the invite for the second year in a row after shooting 332 in round one and 343 in round two, for a two-round total 675. 

“It was an amazing team effort this weekend,” Coach Ritzen stated in an email. “We did a good job of staying focused which resulted in a good finish for the team.” 

The Eagles were coming off of an amazing opening tournament, setting a three-round, 54-hole school record at the Swam Memorial Invite in Thornton, Colorado.

The team had five golfers compete on Monday and Tuesday, along with Alpine Hickstein, senior of Chadron, who scored a 77 in round one. On the next day, she scored an 85 in round two for an overall score of 162, which led her to being CSC’s top golfer and the tournament runner-up. The Chadron native has been a key asset to the team in her seasons at Chadron State. In her sophomore season, Hickstein finished first at the Yellow Jacket Fall Classic, her highest placement that season. That same year, she tied for 17th in the RMAC Championships.

 “It is always great to win a tournament, but we know we need to improve,” Ritzen stated. “We will need to put the work in, but the main focus will be improving our confidence.” 

The Eagles will continue their season when they travel to Marshall, Minnesota, to compete at the Everspring Inn and Suites Mustang Invite.