Webster Looking to Defend Title
The 2018 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Golf Championship tees off on Monday and with it comes the opportunity for Webster University to defend their conference title. Webster captured the team championship last spring, winning for the 7th time in program history. This year's championship will be at a new course for the first time since 2014, moving to Timber Lakes Golf Course in Staunton, Illinois.
Webster is the favorite to come away with the conference title and are ranked 6th in the NCAA Division III Central Region rankings. The Gorloks lineup is deep with six players carrying an average under 80 this spring, helping them to a 306.2 team stroke average. The Gorloks have three top-five finishes this season. Will Hocker has a team-low 74.1 average this year to go with four top-five finishes. He shot a low round of 66 this spring and is expected to compete for the SLIAC Individual Title. Other Gorloks to watch in the championship will be Brian Morris (75.8 average) and Zac Ciesla (76.9 average), the 2017 SLIAC Newcomer of the Year.
Spalding University will be bringing only one golfer to the championship, Garrett Nielsen, but he will be one to keep an eye on. Nielsen, a junior from Chicago, Ill., holds a 73.4 average this spring. He has placed in the top five in each of his tournaments including winning the IU Kokomo Invite. His best round this spring was a 71.
Blackburn College took 2nd place last spring, their highest team finish since 2010, and bring a team score of 316.8 per round into the championship. The Beavers are coming off a 3rd place finish at the Illinois College Invite and have five top-five finishes this year. Trenton Easley, who placed 4th individually last spring, is averaging 78.2 strokes per round this year with three top-five placements. Teammate Jordan McMillen has placed in the top five twice this year and holds a 79.7 average.
Iowa Wesleyan University has been a team that has threatened early previous championships and will look to the 2017 SLIAC Player of the Year Kiley Miller to pace the team this year. Miller enters with a 75.4 average and four top-five finishes. He won the SLIAC Individual Championship by two strokes last spring and will be looking to become the first repeat champion since Nick Profancik of Maryville won three straight from 2007-09. With a 78.4 average, Brock Butler will look to help the Tigers challenge the leaderboard.
Coming off a 5th place finish last year, the Fontbonne University squad will be looking to improve. The Griffins come in averaging 320.6 strokes per round as a team. Satchel Conroy leads the team with an 80.9 average and notched the team's only top-five finish this year while Paul Henderson is second on the team with an 81.1 average.
MacMurray College brings a 330.3 team average into the championship and is coming off their best round of the season, a 305 in a dual match against Eureka. The Highlanders are led by Caleb Burk and Curry. Burk holds an 81.3 average with two top-five finishes while Curry is averaging 81.3 strokes per round. Noah Jeckel can also challenge for the team lead with his 83.7 average.
Westminster College carries a 358.9 average on the season with a low round of 332. Austin Kuss paces the Blue Jays with an 81.6 average while Kurt Matheny (85.7) and Blake Harris (86.2) round out the top three.
Eureka College brings a 381.0 average into the season finale tournament. The Red Devils Alex Furniss has a team-best 86.0 average this season while Drew Barth is just behind with a 94.0 average.
