The St. Thomas men’s and women’s golf teams were well-represented this week at the D-III national championship tournaments behind performances by Doyle O’Brien and Alex Kapraun.

O’Brien led the Tommie women to a 12th-place finish as a team while finishing in fifth place in the individual rankings. Kapraun, the lone invitee for the men, shot 4-over par after two rounds, but missed the cut to move on.

“The team’s performance was great,” O’Brien said. “We came in ranked 17th and finished 12th in the nation … Beating your ranking is really exciting, and it’s always fun to compete at such a high level with such quality teams.”

The five Tommie golfers (O’Brien, Erin Dingmann, Rachel Morris, Emma Wilson and Sophie Tuttle) finished the four-day tournament with a combined score of 1,360, with their two lowest totals (331 and 341) coming on the tournament’s final two days.

“I am extremely proud,” coach Sara Evens said of her team. “We did a great job of representing St. Thomas, and to be the 12th team at nationals is quite an accomplishment.”

O’Brien’s fifth-place finish is her best finish in her four appearances at the national tournament, something O’Brien credits to her focus this time around.

“I always had a target,” O’Brien said. “For every shot I knew exactly where I wanted to place the ball … I was really focusing on where I wanted to be for my second and third shots.”

“It was a great way to cap off her senior year,” Evens said of O’Brien.

Despite a two-day total of 148 (4-over par), Kapraun was not able to make the cut and play in the final two days of the men’s tournament.

“I was fairly pleased with my performance this week,” Kapraun said. “For the most part my game was pretty solid, but it was the first day that hurt me and caused me to miss the cut.”

Kapraun shot a 75 (+3) on the first day, and followed up by shooting a 73 (+1) on the second day. Although he fell short of his expectations, he had only positive takeaways from the event.

“It’s such a great atmosphere, and the competition is top notch,” Kapraun said. “I had a great time with my coaches and parents, who supported me every step of the way, and both golf courses were fun to play, and in great shape. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

The junior already has his eyes set on next year’s tournament, and hopes it will be a team affair next time around.

“There really is no substitute for playing and hanging out with (the team) for a week,” Kapraun said. “It’s definitely far more fun with all five guys. I hope that next year we can make that happen once again.”

Scott Sikich can be reached at siki3549@stthomas.edu.