Q-C alumni report: Bettendorf product leads SAU golf team

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By Steve Batterson | Monday, September 29, 2008 |

The little things don’t get to Kelly Jansen anymore.

Part of an experienced St. Ambrose women’s golf team, the senior from Bettendorf is enjoying a strong start to the season.

She earned medalist honors in the Queen Bees’ first two meets, including the Mount Mercy Invitational, and tied for second over the weekend in a talent-rich field at the Wartburg Invitational, two strokes off of the winning score.

“I feel like the biggest change in my game has been mental, just believing in myself and knowing what I am capable of doing and doing it,’’ Jansen said.

St. Ambrose coach Mike Orfitelli said he sees that, too.

“She expects to go out and play close-to-par or par golf. She’s been putting up numbers in the 70s this season and has done a good job from a leadership aspect as well,’’ Orfitelli said.

“In our opener (the Mount Mercy Invitational), she did a very good job of managing a difficult Hunters Ridge course at Marion (Iowa). She’s going into competition with a plan now. That’s a sign of a maturing player who has worked at developing and understanding her game.’’

Football

Wartburg linebacker Ryan Gerardy recorded three sacks in the Knights’ season-opening 44-20 victory over St. Norbert. The North Scott product is a senior who led a defense that recorded nine sacks.

Camanche’s Nate Metzger is a reserve defensive back on the Greenville football team that plays at Augustana on Saturday. Metzger recorded two tackles in the Panthers’ season-opening loss at Washington University in St. Louis.

Cross country

United Township grad Brooke Ashcraft and Rock Island’s Megan Reeh, first-year competitors at St. Ambrose, already have recorded times that rank among the best in school history. Ashcroft’s finish in 19 minutes, 48 seconds at the Central Invitational on Saturday is the ninth-best ever for a Queen Bees athlete, while Reeh’s time of 19:53 is the 12th-fastest in the program’s history.

AG Bradford of Iowa Central Community College finished fourth in the women’s race at the Central Invitational in Pella, Iowa, covering the 5,000-meter course in 19 minutes. The freshman from Davenport North is part of a program that won the national junior-college championship last season.

Volleyball

Melissa Hillebrand, a sophomore outside hitter at Wisconsin-Platteville, has been named to the all-tournament team in the Pioneers’ first two tournaments of the season. The Davenport West grad averaged 3.94 kills a game while hitting .363.

Men’s soccer

Sophomore defender Kyle McKenna of Davenport recorded the game-winning goal in Wartburg’s 1-0 victory over Upper Iowa. The Bettendorf grad scored with six minutes remaining Saturday to allow the Knights to win for the 19th time in their last 20 home games.

Got news?

The Quad-City alumni report is a weekly feature of the Quad-City Times. To report news of what former area high school athletes are up at the collegiate level — close to home or far away — contact Steve Batterson at sbatterson@qctimes.com or (563) 383-2290.