Youngstown State's Gaffney, Dixon Sweep Golfer of the Week Honors

Indianapolis—Youngstown State sophomore Bill Gaffney (Buffalo, N.Y.) has been named the Horizon League Men’s Golfer of the Week, while sophomore Emily Dixon (Pataskala, Ohio) has been named the Horizon League Women’s Golfer of the Week for the period of Apr. 9-15.

After opening with a 77 at the NYX Hoosier Invitational in Bloomington, Ind., Gaffney carded a pair of 69’s to finish eighth. In a field that consisted of 75 players, the right-handed golfer was one of just two players to break 70 in the final round on the par 72, Indiana University Golf Course, and was the only player to shoot multiple rounds in the 60’s. This marks the first golfer of the week honor for Gaffney.

Youngstown State finished in fourth-place with a 54-hole total 872. Host Indiana won the event with an 853.

Dixon, who joined the Penguins in the spring, earned her first career victory at the Red Flash Invitational in Johnstown, Pa. The Pataskala, Ohio, native posted an opening round 75 which left her in a tie for third-place. She followed up with a season-low 73 to move into first place. The final round was cancelled due to inclement weather and her 148 total gave way to a two-shot victory.

It is the second time in as many weeks that a Penguin women’s golfer has taken first-place and earned golfer of the week honors, as Allison Mitzel accomplished the feat at the IPFW Spring Classic last week. This is Dixon’s first career golfer of the week honor.

Youngstown State finished in second-place, four shots behind Lehigh University who won the event with a 36-hole total 614.

Next up for the Youngstown State women is the 2014 Horizon League Golf Championships at Mission Inn Golf Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. The 54-hole event is contested over three days, April 25-27, with the men playing the El Campéon Course and the women playing the Las Colinas Course. Live scoring is available at Golfstat.com. The Penguin men have one final tune-up April 19-20 at the Rutherford Intercollegiate in University Park, Pa.

Other Top Golfers (April 9-15):
Michael Balcar, Cleveland State (Jr., Toledo, Ohio) - Balcar and the Vikings participated in two tournaments, the Robert Kepler Invitational and the Red Flash Invitational. Balcar opened his week by tying for 53rd (74-76-79-229) at the Robert Kepler Invitational, a tournament that featured six teams ranked inside the top 50. The right-handed golfer bounced back by finishing second at the Red Flash Invitational, posting a 36-hole total 143 (72-71). The final round was cancelled due to inclement weather.
Mark Foster, Oakland (Davison, Mich.) - Registered his first top-10 finish of the season at the NYX Hoosier Invitational. Foster opened with a pair of 71’s and closed with a 74 to finish in a tie for ninth.
Kyle Gaines, Detroit (Fr., Oxford, Mich.) - Led Detroit for the second time this season, firing rounds of 76-74 at the Red Flash Invitational. His 36-hole total 150 placed him in a tie for 10th. 
Kyle Henning, Valparaiso (Sr., Brookfield, Wis.) - At the UK Bluegrass Invitational, Henning posted a level-par (75-68-73-216) 54-hole total to finish in a tie for 10th. It marks his second top-10 finish of the season.
Lindsey Lammers, Detroit (Sr., Milan, Mich.) - Finished in a tie for sixth (74-82-156) at the Delores Black Falcon Invitational. This marks the 10th time in 10 tries this season that Lammers has finished in the top-10.
Cherise Mangal, UIC (Jr., Naperville, Ill.) - At the Delores Black Falcon Invitational, Mangal finished in a tie for 65th with rounds of 85-87.
Katie Pokrandt, Green Bay (Eau Claire, Wis.) - Finished in a tie for ninth at the Crusader/Jaguar Challenge, carding rounds of 86-79.
Erika Pfaender, Valparaiso (Sr., Pewaukee, Wis.) - Led Valparaiso to a second-place team finish at the Crusader/Jaguar Challenge. Pfaender posted a 36-hole total 155 (78-77) to place third, her second top-five finish of the year.

Golfers of the Week:
Sept. 11: Peter Webb (Valparaiso); Michelle Kleckner (Valparaiso)
Sept. 18: Tom Boockmeier (Green Bay); Micaela Cronin (Cleveland State)
Sept 25: Joe Collard (Green Bay); Christina Thorne (Detroit); Aislynn Merling (Youngstown State)
Oct. 2:  Andrew Bailey (Cleveland State)
Oct. 9: Andrew Bailey (Cleveland State); Sydney Shrum (Valparaiso)
Oct. 16: Andrew Bailey (Cleveland State); Kassandra Komma (Oakland); Aislynn Merling (Youngstown State)
Oct. 23: Lindsey Lammers (Detroit)
Mar. 5:  Wil Wittmann (Detroit); Kassandra Komma (Oakland)
Mar. 14:  Peter Webb (Valparaiso); Lindsey Lammers (Detroit)
Mar. 19: Brendan Leonard (Detroit)
Mar. 26:  Lindsey Lammers (Detroit); Shelly Ford (Cleveland State)
Apr. 2:  Andrew Bailey (Cleveland State)
Apr. 9: Wil Wittmann (Detroit); Allison Mitzel (Youngstown State)
Apr. 16: Bill Gaffney (Youngstown State); Emily Dixon (Youngstown State)