LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The 2015 SCAC Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships tees off Monday, April 20 and will run through Tuesday, April 21. Official Website
The men’s teams will play 36 holes on Monday and 18 on Tuesday while the women’s teams will play 18 holes each day. All teams will play an 18-hole practice round on Sunday. Schreiner University is the defending SCAC Men’s Golf Champion. This year's championship will be contested at Vaaler Creek Golf Club in Blanco, Texas.
Four of the SCAC’s six men’s teams are ranked in the latest Bushnell/Golf Week Men's Division III Coaches' Top 25 poll. Defending national champion Schreiner University is receiving one first place vote and is ranked sixth. Following the Mountaineers, Southwestern University is 13th, Texas Lutheran University is 16th and Trinity University is 17th.
Last year at the The Resort at Tapatio Springs in Boerne, Texas, Schreiner shot rounds of 291, 291 and 284 to shatter the league's previous three-round scoring record by 17 strokes en route to the school's first-ever SCAC championship. The conference championship record had been held by Oglethorpe University who went on to win the 2012 NCAA Division III men's national title later that season, and, just as the Petrels had done two years prior, the Mountaineers carried the momentum of a record-breaking conference performance to earn the 2014 NCAA Division III national title. The championship in men's golf was the third national title for the conference in the sport over the last six years.
Schreiner is poised to defend its conference crown as all five golfers from last year's SCAC and national title-winning squads return. Senior Jimmy Keener is currently the seventh-ranked individual in the nation (according to GolfStat), with an adjusted scoring average of 73.40. Fellow senior Cheyne Kendall is ranked 13th and has an adjusted scoring average of 73.23. Kendall finished second at last year's national championship and Keener was tied for third. Sophomore Matt McClung, the reigning SCAC Freshman of the Year, is ranked 44th and has an adjusted scoring average of 74.01. Senior Zach Oliver, the defending SCAC Player of the Year, and junior Philip Stewart currently card respective adjusted scoring averages of 76.51 and 75.97.
Southwestern is also seeking a repeat trip to the NCAA Men’s Division III Golf Championship as the Pirates, an at-large invitee last season, finished in 11th place to post the highest national finish in program history. Senior Jordan Cowart, who tied for third and was one of three SCAC golfers to finish in the top five at last year's national championship, is back to lead the Pirates. He has an adjusted scoring average of 74.70 and is ranked 29th nationally entering this week's SCAC tourney. First-year golfer Sutherland Stith follows closely behind Cowart with an adjusted scoring average of 74.80 and a national ranking of 35th among all individuals. Another freshman, Tyler Gammill, has an adjusted scoring average of 75.40 (ranked 71st) while junior Cody Hebert brings an adjusted scoring average of 76.80 to this year's event.
Texas Lutheran has been led all year by senior Adam Peterson, who is currently the ninth-ranked golfer in the nation and has an adjusted scoring average of 72.62. Peterson has won the last three tournaments in which he has competed, including the prestigious West Region Invitational almost two weeks ago. A pair of second-year golfers have had strong seasons for the Bulldogs as sophomore Tyler Kolb (ranked 25th) has an adjusted scoring average of 74.39 and sophomore Kraig Zimmerhanzel (ranked 36th) is just behind with an adjusted scoring average of 75.31.
Trinity University, the 2013 SCAC champions, is led by sophomore Diego Trevino, who has an adjusted scoring average of 75.27 and is currently ranked 39th by GolfStat. Sophomore Redmond Lyons (75.47), senior Kalen Vos (76.07) and sophomore Trevor Warner (76.15) give the Tigers a consistent foursome that is ready to contend for the program's fifth SCAC men's golf championship.
Seniors Jamie Gibson and Hank Strickler are the undisputed leaders of the Centenary College men's squad. Gibson, a two-time All-SCAC performer, is currently ranked 43rd with an adjusted scoring average of 73.70, while Strickler, who finished tied for second at the 2014 SCAC Golf Tournament to earn First Team all-conference honors, has an adjusted scoring average of 76.32.
Freshman Chris Eckes leads the University of Dallas men’s squad with an 77.94 adjusted scoring average and has finished atop the individual leaderboard in two of the Crusader's dual matches this spring.
For complete coverage of the 2015 SCAC Men's and Women's Golf Championships, including links to live hole-by-hole results, click here:
