The first major of the year, the Masters, begins this month with names like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy headlining the field. But even they would have had trouble competing against Aine Filler ‘19 on Saturday, as the senior captured her second tournament win this season.
Filler and the rest of the women’s golf team competed at the Susquehanna Spring Invitational on Saturday at Williamsport Country Club. The women put up an impressive performance, finishing fourth out of the eight teams and only 15 shots back of the second place team. Drew University came away with the team title, clearing Muhlenberg by an impressive 37 strokes.
Anisha Reddy ‘20 had a nice day on the course for the Mules, posting a score of 96, her second lowest on the season and good enough for 11th place overall. Emma Mueller ‘22 shot a 97 and Katie Chen ‘21 scored a 125.
However, it was Filler who blew past the rest of the field, beating all 38 other golfers with the low score of 81. Filler has been the most successful women’s golfer at Muhlenberg throughout her illustrious collegiate career. She has won a tournament each year she has been a Mule, capturing seven tournaments overall with the win on Sunday.
“To win a tournament every year of my college career means, to me, that I was able to remain consistent and competitive,” said Filler. “Sometimes life can get in the way, especially during college, so all seven of my wins were very rewarding to me. They are a constant reminder of all the hard work that I put into this sport, which has allowed me to get so much more out of it besides winning some tournaments.”
Last year, Filler was limited to just four tournaments due to a lingering injury. She ended up winning two of those tournaments, which were back-to-back. She finished second in another.
“It’s my goal every season to win a tournament or two. Winning in my final season as a Mule doesn’t feel any different than winning in any other season,” said Filler. “Yet I’m sure I will look back in several years and be proud of my college career and always remember that I finished out strong.”
On Monday, the Mules hosted the Muhlenberg Invitational, and while Filler did not win, a Mule did take home the title. Kat Hodges ‘20 tied for the low score of 84 and won the tiebreaker to bring home the title for the Mules. In her last home match, Filler finished one shot back and placed third, adding to her outstanding streak of 16 consecutive top 10 finishes.
Filler’s collegiate career will come to an end when the spring season finishes, capping off four years of excellence.
“I will miss the camaraderie of being on a sports team. As I prepare for my career outside of college, which is taking me to McDonald’s Corporate, I look forward to applying all my teamwork and interpersonal skills that I really fostered while I was playing golf,” Filler explained. “I know that I will still be working in teams, just a little differently than what I am used to.”
Filler could also make both the All-Centennial Conference First Team and the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll for the third time. The Centennial Conference Championship is the lone match remaining for the season on Apr. 27 and 28.
Filler is optimistic about the team’s chances at the Conference Tournament, a tournament she has placed top five twice.
“I will also miss my coach,” Filler reflected. “He has been nothing but supportive of me and my teammates the past 4 years. I will miss my teammates a bunch. We get to spend a lot of time together in the van to and from tournaments and during our car rides to Lehigh Country Club. And although I will miss so much about this program, I can’t wait to finish the season strong in a few short weeks at our Centennial Conference Championship!”
