Webster Wins 2019 SLIAC Men's Golf Title
Webster University made it a three-peat by winning the 2019 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Golf Championship at Weaver Ridge in Peoria, Ill. The win marks the first time in program history they have won three straight titles and give them nine total. Webster won the event with a team score of 889, besting their nearest competitor by 73 strokes.
Despite the up and down terrain of the golf course, the Gorloks were anything but through their three rounds. Shooting the low team score in each round. They carded a 287 after the first round as Will Hocker put the Gorloks out front with a first-round 69, finishing just one shot behind the tournament record low. Webster put up identical rounds of 301 to close out the tournament, marking the three lowest rounds of the tournament from any team.
Much like his team Zac Ciesla was consistent, finishing with a 73-71-71 and a total score of 215 to capture the SLIAC individual title. Ciesla's score was just four strokes off the tournament record low of 211 set by Anthony Irwin of Spalding University in 2013. Ciesla becomes the 7th Gorlok to take home the individual championship and one of just seven players in conference history to win both a SLIAC individual title and Newcomer of the Year award in their career.
Webster had the top four individual scorers of the tournament with Ciesla followed by Hocker (222), Mitchell Vetter (224), and Cole Pickett (229). Will Murphy also grabbed an 8th place finish with his 239.
Fontbonne University finished 2nd overall in the team standings with a 962. Sam Kaminski took 6th overall for the Griffins with a 237 while Matt Rapisardo finished 9th overall with a 240.
Westminster College carded a 999, cutting off over 20 strokes from last year's score. The Blue Jays had three players finish within five strokes of each other with Zane West-Derby tying for 12 overall with a 243. Kurt Matheney was 14th while Aubrey Nelson finished tied for 15th.
Blackburn College placed 4th with a 1008 as Anthony Harper (241) grabbed All-Conference honors with a 10th place finish.
Iowa Wesleyan University was 5th with a 1018 as Jaime Suarez finished tied for 15th with a 248.
MacMurray College placed 6th with a 1035 and was led by Cody Curry (251) who finished tied for 17th.
Host school Eureka College carded a 1156, over 150 shots better than last year. Evan Smith had a team best score of 261, tying for 24th overall.
Spalding University had two players competing as individuals with Kendall Hale finishing 5th with a 233 and Hayden Hope carding a 267. In addition Carson King, from Fontbonne, competed as an individual and finished 7th overall with a 238.
