SLIAC Golf: Legacies Are Made
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 the point of adding a women's championship in 2017. Today we look at the most recent decade, the 2010s, and how legacies were created.
The 2010s started with charter member Blackburn College winning its second SLIAC Championship in program history. Rob Jackson led the way for the Beavers while Dallas Gray and Trent Groves joined him as All-Conference performers.
However, the rest of the decade would be dominated by just two programs; Webster University and Spalding University. After winning three titles in the previous decade Webster took a stronghold in SLIAC men's golf, winning another six in the '10s. Five different Gorloks won a SLIAC individual title in that span, a list that includes Kaleb Kessler, Kyler Scott, Tyler Thorman, Will Hocker, and Zac Ciesla.
The Gorloks had become not just an annual threat to win the SLIAC title but had become one of the nation's top programs. The Gorloks appeared in the NCAA Division III National Tournament six times in the decade, with a best finish of 17th place in 2017. Gorlok Tyler Thorman also qualified individually and finished 45th overall at the 2014 nationals. The Webster program also excelled off the course with eight players being named Golf Coaches Association of America All-American Scholars during the decade and earning GCAA All-Academic team honors from 2012-19 including the national champion in 2015.
Spalding University, who joined the conference in 2009, had a run in the middle of the decade in which they won three team championships in four years (2013, 2015, and 2016), advancing to the national championship in each of those seasons. The Golden Eagles' first title was wrapped up in the best individual performance at a SLIAC Championship. Anthony Irwin captured the individual title with a three-round score of 211, a conference record that still stands today. Hunt Lenz would become the second Golden Eagle to win a SLIAC individual title, in 2015, and that same spring his teammate Jonathan Gandia qualified individually for the national tournament, finishing 21st overall. Spalding's 3rd title was thanks to an effort from two-time First Team All-Conference player Michael Vick.
Another newcomer to the league etched their name into the record book during the '10s as well. Iowa Wesleyan joined the conference in 2013 and made its first tournament appearance one year later. That year the Tigers finished 3rd as a team but saw Tiger Blake Mitchell win the individual championship with a 212. Just three years later Kiley Miller also took home an individual title while Michael Neff grabbed the 2014 SLIAC Newcomer of the Year.
The growth of golf extended to women and the SLIAC added sponsorship of women's golf in 2017. Spalding won each of the first two SLIAC Women's Golf Championships by over 50 strokes with head coach Gina Nuzzo. The only battle was for Player of the Year honors where teammates Kassidy Wallin (2017) and Taylor Thompson (2018) would each claim bragging rights.
In the fall of 2019, the SLIAC welcomed in five affiliate members in women's golf including 2019 Champion Grinnell College. The Pioneers immediately rewrote the SLIAC record books, shooting a new team-low score of 651 in the two-round championship event. Nina Kouchi was the SLIAC Player of the Year after carding a 153, a new conference record.
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