SLIAC Men's Golf Championship Preview

The Beavers lineup will be getting their first taste of championship experience. First-year head coach Aaron Coe will go with a lineup that features four freshmen and a sophomore. Slotting at the top is freshman Kevin Hall, who captured three top finishes for the team this year and holds a 79.9 average. Hall had a team-low round of 72 this year. His classmate Bryce Wrightsman is second on the team with an 80.3 average. Also in the lineup are freshmen Ryan Farris, Steven Mulvaney, and sophomore Nicholas Rosborough. Blackburn finished tied for 9th at last year's championship and has two SLIAC titles in program history (1998 and 2010).

Fontbonne finished 4th at last year's championship and carries a team average of 317. Cody McKinney is in the top spot of the lineup and holds a 77.1 average this season with six top-team finishes and a low round of 71. JP Ruble will get his first taste of the championship and holds an 83.6 average. Cole Deppe and Lake Deppe both have averages below 82.1 while Adam Cash carries an 86.6 average. The Griffins have won five SLIAC tournaments with their last coming in 2006.

Four of the five golfers for the Pioneers played in last year's tournament as the Pioneers finished 7th as a team. Eshaan Sethi has a team-best 77.8 average while Hayden Somach isn't too far behind at 78.1. Freshman Thornton Walker has pushed both and holds a 78.3 average and has a team-high three top finishes this year. The Pioneers are averaging 316.3 strokes per round as a team and are coming off a 3rd place finish at the Battle of Waterloo where they shot a season-low round of 290. 

The Blue Boys have improved their team position in each subsequent conference tournament since joining the SLIAC, finishing a program-best 3rd last year. If they are to continue that trend this spring it will be because of the experience of Jarrett James and Tanner Romine. James finished 4th individually at the championships last year and holds a 74.1 average this season with six top finishes. Romine carries a 76.7 average and will be competing in his third consecutive championship. Cole Bartels, Samuel Frericks, and Tobin Nell, all with averages in the upper 70s, fill out the lineup. The Blue Boys are averaging 304.8 strokes per round as a team and picked up two wins this season with a low round of 287 in their last outing. 

The Prairie Fire are coming in on a roll, carding their lowest two rounds of the season the last time they were on a course. They are averaging 303.4 strokes per round and are led by Patrick Mattar. The senior holds a 75.3 average and tied for 8th place last year. Brendan Wise (75.9) and Harrison Phillips (78.6) were members of Knox's lineup at last year's championship, earning top 19 finishes. Gabriel Newman, a freshman, had a team-high four top finishes this season while Pranav Nandakumar also joins the Prairie Fire lineup.

Lake Forest had a 2nd place showing at last year's championship and with their 299.7 average, this season will be in competition for the program's first-ever conference title. James Johnson will lead off the Foresters but the lineup boasts depth as all five golfers carry averages under 78. Max Golding has a team-low 74.9 average while Jack Dwyer led the team with four top finishes. Ryan Higgins and Chris Petri fill out the lineup.

Monmouth brings a team average of 329.6 into the tournament with a low round of 307 this season. Ryan Prusak tied for 8th individually last year and holds an 80.3 average this season with three top finishes. He will be followed in the lineup by Noah Shields who has an 81.9 average and two top finishes. Ganon Greenman has a team-low 78.0 average and is followed by Briggs Bossert (83.0) and Grant Foster (90.1). 

After finding their stride in the third and final round of last year's championship, Spalding is hoping that experience prepares them this spring. Spalding brings back three golfers from last year's 6th place team in Kendall Hale, Nolan Keeler, and Coby Johnson. Hale and Keeler are among the favorites for individual honors after finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively last year. Hale holds a 75.7 average this season while Keeler carries a 75.9 average and both golfers carding a low round of 69 this spring. Freshmen Jack Tieman (80.1) and Brady Westwood (83.2) will be making their first championship tournament appearances. Spalding has three SLIAC titles in program history and carries a 307.2 team average this year with four wins. 

Webster is the five-time defending SLIAC Champion but returns just two golfers from last year's championship team. Leading the way is Justin McCoy, the 2021 SLIAC Individual Champion. McCoy holds a 75.4 average this season with one win and four top finishes. He has twice carded a low round of 69, including in his last tournament. Trent Garrett, who is slotted in the fourth spot on the lineup, is the only other Gorlok with championship experience. He carries a 79.0 average this season. New to the lineup are Jan Antonin Wdowka, who should find himself among the top group with his 75.3 average; as well as Austen Velazquez and Josh Hayes.  

The Blue Jays will be paced by Cole Lehmen. The junior led the Blue Jays this year with a 78.0 average, finishing first on the team in all seven events. He made noise at last year's championship when he carded a 73 in the second round but will need to extend that consistency for the entire tournament if he is to improve upon his 34th-place finish from last year. Joining him in the lineup are Parker Schneiders, Nik Olson, Ben Scheve, and Davis Herbst.