LAUREL, Mont. --- The South Dakota Mines golf teams traveled north up to Laurel, Montana to compete in the Beartooth Fall Invite hosted by Rocky Mountain College and Montana State University Billings. The tournament was held at the Laurel Golf Club Monday and Tuesday.
 
"We played very well on a very tough course," said head coach Luke Wheeler. "I am proud of the way we came out and competed mentality and physically. We hit a few bumps in the road during the tournament, but those are things we can work on. We are looking forward to the last tournaments to see if we can put it all together for two rounds."

The Hardrocker women's A team finished second with a two-day score of 681 (+105), while the B team placed fifth with a score of 751 (+175). Rocky Mountain College (RMC) won the tournament with a score of 675 (+99). The Hardrockers had three golfers finish in the top 10. Rianna Garland finished 3rd (82-80-162); Annika Schooler was 4th (89-80-169), and Abby Magee finished for a tie for 8th (87-87-174). The rest of the Hardrockers that competed were: Jessalyn Shipp (11th 88-88-176); Portia Lenczowski (15th 95-87-182); Julia Sabetti (T16th 93-90-183); Lora Ortega (22nd 95-97-192); Mya Maxwell (23rd 91-102); and Lexa Rauert (T24th 99-95-194).

The Hardrocker men's team placed third with a two-day score of 607 (298-309 +31). RMC's A team won the event with a score of 591 +15. Bryce Howard led the Rockers with a third-place finish with a score of 145 (73-72 +1). Roger Nakagawa tied for 7th (75-75-150). Lane Jensen was 23rd (72-86-158); Jake Francis placed 27th (78-82-160), and Carson McDaniel was 28th (81-80-161). Bret Elkin, Braydon Jones, and Ian Bjork played as individuals. Elkin shot 78-79-157 (T20th); Jones carded an 83-81-164 (32nd), and Bjork shot 89-84-173 (37th).

The Hardrockers will finish up the fall season next week as the men will travel to Pueblo, Colorado to compete in the Regional Fall Preview hosted by Colorado State University-Pueblo. The tournament will take place at the Pueblo Country Club, where the West and South-Central Regional tournament will be in the spring of 2022. The women will travel to South Jordan, UT to play in the Westminster Wasatch Invitational hosted by Westminster College. The tournament will be held at Glenmoor Golf Course.
 
About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 11 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.