Warian Is Medalist & Gophers Are Team Champs at Highland Meadows
April 16, 2024
NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. -- It was like match play at a distance, as Sam Goldening of Williams College and Josh Gibson of Hope battled each other from opposite sides of the golf course on Friday in the final round of the NCAA Division III Championships.
Goldenring opened the tournament with a 3-under-par 69, which turned out to be the best round of the week, and after a second-round 74, he reclaimed the lead with a 70 on the Champion Trace course at Keene Trace Golf Club in Thursday's third round. The Williams junior, who was playing as an individual only, started the final round with a three-stroke lead over Gibson, and birdied three of the first six holes.
Gibson, a senior, graduated from Hope with a degree in engineering in April. Last year, he won the Jack Nicklaus Award, which is given each year to the DIII player of the year, and he's a finalist again this year. (The winner of the award will be announced in June.) He was in third place going into the final round last week, but the Hope team was not in the top half of the field. So Gibson went off on the back nine Friday, and he got off to a less-than-stellar start, bogeying his first hole, the 386-yard, par-4 10th.
He recovered quickly, with a birdie at the par-3 11th, then parred the next two holes and made an eagle at the 516-yard, par-5 14th, which got him to 2 under for the round, and for the tournament. A bogey at the 15th (424 yards, par 4) and a birdie at the 18th (172, par 3) kept him there.
Meanwhile, Goldening was struggling at the end of the front nine, making a bogey at the 403-yard, par-4 eighth and a double at the 415-yard, par-4 ninth. Suddenly, he was only 3 under for the tournament, and his lead over Gibson, which had been much as six shots a few holes earlier, was down to one.
But Gibson's chances pretty much disappeared during a three-hole stretch on the front nine, as he bogeyed the par-4 third, par-4 fourth and the 206-yard, par-3 fifth. He made two birdies on the way in from there, at the par-5 sixth and the par-4 ninth, but it was too little, too late.
Gibson signed for a 1-under 71 and a 72-hole total of 287.
Goldenring settled down on the back nine, making nine straight pars for a 72 -- and a two-stroke victory with an overall 285.
Huntingdon's Drew Mathers, another Nicklaus Award finalist, was in second place after three rounds, two behind Goldenring. He started on the front nine, and stayed within range of the lead for most of the round, mixing birdies with bogey. But he bogeyed the last two holes for a 73 and finished one behind Gibson at 288.
The team competition came down to the final day. Illinois Wesleyan and Huntingdon started it tied for first, and Wesleyan claimed the title by outscoring the Hawks 294 to 297. That gave Wesleyan 1174 for the week, and Huntingdwon 1177. Guilford was never far behind and claimed third with an 1181. It was another 12 strokes back to Concordia University of Texas (not Moorhead, or St. Paul) at 1193.
MIAC champion St. Thomas finished 15th at 1236. The Tommies' highest individual finisher was Emmet Herb, a junior from Middleton, Wis. He made up a lot of ground with a 70 on Friday and finished in a tie for 15th at 296.
The other MIAC team in the DIII Championships was St. John's. Unfortunately, the Johnnies were missing their best player, Matt Wahl, because of illness in the first round. He played at something less than full strength in the second round and shot 82. Without a healthy Wahl, St. John's posted 316-307--623 for the first two rounds and missed the cut.
Nevertheless, the Johnnies' Danny Schneider did make the cut as an individual, and the junior from Albany was a model of consistency, going 74-74-74-75--297. That put him in 21st place in a field of more than 200 golfers. Forty-two teams started the tournament.
MEN'S COLLEGE GOLF
NCAA Division III Championships
At Keene Trace Golf Club
Champions Trace Course, par 72, 7,190 yards
Keene Run Course, par 72, 6,897 yards
Nicholasville, Ky.
Final results
1. Illinois Wesleyan 287-291-302-294--1174
2. Huntingdon College 299-291-290-297--1177
3. Guilford College 296-286-300-299--1181
4. Concordia Univ. (Texas) 288-311-301-293--1193
5. Methodist University 300-298-301-298--1197
6. Wittenberg University 295-292-308-303--1198
7. Oglethorpe 295-303-303-299--1200
8. Claremont Mudd Scripps 299-302-303-297--1201
9. Hope College 305-303-303-296--1207
10. Trinity College (Ct.) 290-308-309-302--1209
11. Carnagie Mellon Univ. 307-292-313-304--1216
12. Hampden-Sydney College 297-315-309-301--1222
13. Willamette University 308-306-306-308--1228
14. North Carolina Wesleyan 312-304-310-306--1232
15. St. Thomas, University of 310-310-313-303--1236
16. Rutgers-Camden 300-311-318-308--1237
17. Redlands, Univ. of 306-312-313-310--1241
18. Aurora University 311-309-317-317--1255
Did not make the cut (620)
St. John Fisher 314-308--622
Washington & Lee 312-310--622
Transylvania 316-307--623
St. John's (Minn.) 316-307--623
Emory University 321-303--624
Southwestern University 302-323--625
Gettysburg College 314-311--625
Otterbein University 303-323--626
New York University 311-321--632
LaVerne 313-320--633
Nebraska Wesleyan 314-321--635
Washington & Jefferson 315-321--636
Husson University 327-309--636
Webster 324-314--638
York College (Pa.) 320-318--638
Rosemont Collgege 316-322-638
Johnson & Wales (RI) 339-311--650
Goucher College 325-331--656
Pittsburgh-Bradford 331-325--656
Wisconsin-Superior 327-334--661
Stevenson 331-331-662
Farmingdale State 321-346--667
Endicott College 326-342--668
Manhattenville College 340-347--687
Individuals
1. Sam Goldenring, Williams 69-74-70-72--285*
2. Josh Gibson, Hope 72-71-73-71--287
3. Drew Mathers, Huntingdon 70-73-72-73--288
4. Jacob Arnett, Oglethorpe 73-70-74-73--290
5. James Mishoe, Guilford 75-72-72-73--292
T15. Emmet Herb, St. Thomas 71-77-78-70--296
21. Danny Schneider, St. John's 74-74-74-75--297
T28. Jack Ritchay, St. Thomas 72-75-77-77--301
T68. Matt Mellin, St. Thomas 82-77-79-74--312
93. Peder Larson, St. Thomas 85-81-81-85--331
95. Miles McCarthy, St. Thomas 93-84-79-82--338
Did not make the cut (149)
Preston Kopel, St. John's 82-73--155
Esten Stensrud, St. John's 77-82--159
Jack Koehler, St. John's 83-78--161
Matt Wahl, St. John's Illness-82
* - indicates a player competing as an individual only
April 9, 2024
April 9, 2024
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