Men's golfers compete for UMAC Championship trophy and NCAA berth
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ALEXANDRIA, Minn. -- Seven Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) teams will compete this weekend at the 2011 UMAC Men’s Golf Championships at Alexandria Golf Club. The three-day tournament, taking place this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, will determine the conference’s representative to the 2012 NCAA Division III Championship.
The Rams of North Central University will be the heavy favorites after winning the 2010 UMAC Men’s Golf Championship and taking first at the UMAC Preview tournament on Sept. 1 at Alexandria Golf Club with a team score of 302. The Rams blasted the rest of competition in that meet, outshooting its closest competitors by 25 strokes. North Central is anchored by sophomore Taylor Alvarado, who leads the UMAC with his 76.5 average. As a team, the Rams average a 324.2 team score per contest, and are poised to repeat as UMAC champions.
The Rams won’t be able to take home the trophy without getting past the Eagles of Northwestern College, who finished second in the UMAC Preview. Senior Alex Kitson paces the team, averaging just over 80 for the season. His best round of the year was a 75 at the Northwestern Invitational, which earned him a second-place finish in that meet. The Eagles have yet to break the 320 mark, but posted a season-best 323 at the Bethany Lutheran Invitational.
Bethany Lutheran College took third at the UMAC Preview, but the Vikings have turned in impressive performances since then, and will challenge for the top spot in Alexandria. Bethany Lutheran won the Northwestern Invitational, carding a score of 309 and also bested the University of Minnesota Morris by one stroke to win their own invitational with a score of 314. Freshman Jon Pederson was the medalist at the Northwestern Invitational and is averaging 76.2 strokes per 18 holes on the season.
The Cougars of Minnesota Morris also expect to be in the chase for the weekend’s top score. The team finished fourth at the UMAC Preview, but sophomore Collin Anderson put in an impressive round to finish third on September 1st with a score of 76. Anderson, a 2010 UMAC All-Conference golfer, also took medalist honors at the Bethany Lutheran Invitational, carding a 72. The Cougars also return 2010 all-conference performer Derek Dionne. Dionne was the runner-up at the 2010 UMAC Men’s Golf Championships and has earned medalist honors twice this season.
At the UMAC Preview, Martin Luther College finished just two strokes behind the Cougars. The Knights put in their best performance of the year at the Northwestern Invitational, where they carded a 322 to earn second place. Sophomore Sam Panning leads the team with an 80.8 average and tied for first at the Northwestern Invitational by shooting his season-best score of 74.
Presentation College finished sixth at the UMAC Preview, and hopes to better that finish at the UMAC Championship. Leading the way for the Saints is senior Tyson Paulson, who is averaging 87.9 strokes per 18 holes this season. Teammate Kyle Blum is second on the team, averaging an even 91.0.
The Crown College Storm did not compete at the UMAC Preview, but finished fifth at the Northwestern Invitational. The team’s best performance of the season came in a dual meet against Northwestern last week in which freshman Jose Carlos Cueva shared medalist honors by shooting a seven-over par 79.
The seven UMAC teams will tee off at 11 a.m. on Thursday, with the No. 1 golfers earning honors on the first tee. The winner of the UMAC Men’s Golf Championship will represent the league at the 2012 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championship on May 15-18 at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.