The Briar Cliff golf teams closed out the Northwest Iowa Invitational Tuesday at Willow Creek Golf Course in Le Mars, Iowa. The Charger women placed eighth with a team score of 902 (318, 286, 298), while the men finished 12th.
 
"I was excited to see our overall men's par-5 scoring average right up there with the top teams in the field," said head coach Ben Irlbeck. "To compete at the highest level, we need to continue to score. Where we needed to improve was on the par 3s. Overall, this event should help with confidence on the national stage. We have a high ceiling, and the season is still young."
 
Elijah Lamoureux and Andrew Arndorfer posted matching 73s in their final round to lead the Cliff. Lamoureux finished tied for 37th, while Arndorfer was t-49th. Lamoureux rolled in three birdies and Arndorfer had three birdies and one eagle.
 
Desmond Landin led the Cliff overall at the tournament after his third-round score of 77. Landin tied for 31st with a 223. Landin totaled four birdies on the day and played the par-5s at -2. Braxton Brockhaus tied for 43rd after carding a 75. Brockhaus kept a relatively clean scorecard with one birdie, two bogeys and a double. Davess Verdugo rounded out the scoring with an 80 and finished in 61st. He had two birdies on the day on back-to-back holes.
 
Lamoureux led the field in par-5 scoring for the event at -8, while Landin and Verdugo were -5 and -4 on par-5s, respectively.  
 
"Helene continued her solid play. A couple loose swings may have cost her a few strokes, but her coming in at 76 shows she can manage her way around even when she isn't playing her best. Her hard work is paying off," said Irlbeck. "As a team, we scored a good number of birdies, something we've fallen short of in the past. If we continue to make red numbers, our best results are yet to come."
 
Helene Getz Bergmo paced the Chargers with a 76 on the day and tied for 17th. Bergmo rolled in four birdies in her third round. She played the par-5s at -3 throughout the tournament and totaled 12 birdies. Frankie Valencia turned in her third straight score of 82 and tied for 36th. Valencia had four birdies in her 54-holes.
 
Grace Johanson carded an 82 and finished in 38th place with three birdies. Kelly Baade turned in an 85 in her final round and totaled five birdies to finish tied for 42nd. Abbigale Miller carded an 83 in her third round and had two birdies.
 
The Chargers will travel to Olathe, Kansas on October 17-18 for the Wildcat Match Play at Prairie Highlands Golf Course.