What a difference a year makes. After letting the 2006 Region Championship slip away on the back nine, the 2007 Cougar team was poised and ready to play and earn another trip back to Scottsboro, Alabama. Over a windy, four round tournament shortened to 63 holes the men’s golf team dominated the field firing a 988 (-10) and for the first time in school history all five players earned All-Region Honors. With the victory, the men’s golf program will now play in the 2007 NJCAA DII National Golf Championship in Scottsboro, Alabama May 22-25th. “This is a special team loaded with talent and five Freshman.” “Our goal now is to spend the next two weeks preparing for Goosepond Colony GC,” said Coach Brown.
The golf program currently ranked #5 in the nation had a solid spring winning two tournaments and finishing 2nd six times. “I told the guys that the post season is all we have left now and to safe the best for last.” The nearest competitor was Mesa CC who earned the final spot firing 1044 (+36). Freshman Gabe Plaza fired a sizzling 31 on the back nine to earn the Region Medalist Honors and fire 3 under for the tournament. Red-shirt freshman Bentley Nakasawa, the tournament leader through 3 rounds, fired a final round 75 to finish in 4th and earn All-Region Honors. “Bentley has been huge the last two tournaments and given himself and our team a chance to win with his fine play,” said Brown.
Team cohesion is one of the strong points on this year’s team. Four of the members grew up together in the same towns. Devin Schreiner and Keenan Holt played junior golf and on the same high school team in Durango, Colorado. Plaza and Nakasawa grew up in Yuma, Arizona competing in junior golf events and traveling throughout the state together during the summer months. The final member of the team, Nicholas Banfield, has shown great maturity adjusting to life in the United States as hometown life and golf in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia is a bit different from his current surroundings in Phoenix, Arizona.
The 2007 Championship will be the Cougars sixth trip to nationals in the last seven years and hopefully a chance to return to the glory years when the team finished 2nd in 2003 and won the 2004 National Championship at Palm Valley GC in Goodyear, Arizona. Those interested in 2007 tournament results can follow live scoring updates during the week of May 22-25th at www.goosepond.org.