SLIAC Golf: Tee Time
Over the next few weeks, we will be taking a closer look at the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference spring sports history. We will look at the sports by each decade, examining the 30 years of SLIAC history, culminating with a send-off for SLIAC seniors. This week we will look at SLIAC golf and how it has grown through the years to point of adding a women's championship in 2017.
SLIAC golf teed off with a men's championship 1991 and is one of only three sports to hold a tournament championship in each year of the conference's existing years prior to this spring. Fontbonne University claimed each of the first two titles under head coach Lee McKinney with Keith Quigley and Eric Brumm winning the individual championship. Quigley, in fact, became the first player to repeat as SLIAC Champion, winning the 1991 and 1993 titles. He was also the first SLIAC player to qualify for the NCAA Division III Men's Golf National Championship, finishing tied for 84th in 1993.
Principia College followed in their footsteps by winning back-to-back titles in 1993 and 1993. Panther Justin McKinney won the next three individual titles, from 1994-96, and remains just one of two players in SLIAC history to win three titles.
Despite the decade starting off with two schools repeating as SLIAC Champions, the rest of the '90s saw four schools take turn winning titles. MacMurray College won a pair of titles (1995 and 1997) behind head coach Bob Frey. Doug Bostwick and Perry Crowley led the Highlanders charge to their 1995 title while Brian Baptist won the 1997 individual title as well. Blackburn College captured the 1998 title with Andy Harrell leading the way while Westminster College won the programs only men's golf championship in 1996 behind Jeff Brown and Casey Conway.
The decade came to a close with Maryville University winning the first of three consecutive titles. Davie Pierce and the Saints won the 1999 title thanks to freshman Torrey Welsch, who was named the Player and Newcomer of the Year after shooting a 158 in the SLIAC Championship.
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