MCC Golfers clinch Region IX Championship; seek first-ever district title
This week's Region IX golf tournament in Torrington, Wyo. has been postponed because of weather until April 26-27 and the Central Wyoming tournament scheduled for next week in Riverton, Wyo. has been canceled. With the revised schedule, and just one tournament remaining, the MCC golf team has clinched the Region IX title for the third time in the school's history.
MCC has earned 94 standings points this year (10 points for each meet won, seven for second place, five for third, three for fourth, two for fifth and one for sixth place.) Of the 10 Region IX tournaments played this season, MCC has won or tied for first place in eight of those and placed second in the other two. Eastern Wyoming is in second place with 79 points and Northeastern Junior College third with 40 points.
Since the season started back up in March, MCC has won all four Region IX events. The team also played in three non-region tournaments and has won or tied in those tournaments. MCC won on the 4-HIM Classic at Luna Vista in Dallas on Feb. 28; tied for first place at the weather-shortened Garden City tournament at the Buffalo Dunes Golf Course March 6; and won the All-Nebraska JUCO Challenge at Heritage Hills on March 14. Counting the final Region IX meet of the fall at Lamar, Colo., MCC has finished in first place in eight straight tournaments.
MCC has a spring scoring average of 288.4 with low team rounds of -11 at Sterling, Colo. on April 13; -10 at La Junta, Colo. on March 30, -9 at home on the Heritage Hills Golf course on April 7 and - 5 in the same McCook tournament April 6.
In the latest National Junior College Division I Men's Golf poll, MCC is ranked 14th in the nation.
In addition to winning Region IX, MCC is also leading the NJCAA West District with at adjusted scoring average of 2.27 over par per round. The adjusted scoring factors include the course rating as some courses are harder than others. The West District includes three Arizona golf teams from Region I. While the two regions don't play in the same tournaments, adjusted scores are used to determine the district champion as well as at-large bids for the NJCAA National Tournament.
Pima Community College is second in the district with an adjusted scoring average of 3.13 (and is ranked No. 9 in the nation). Eastern Wyoming is third at 11.40, Northeastern Junior College fourth at 18.15, Eastern Arizona fifth at 18.38, Estrella Mountain sixth at 18.55, Otero seventh at 25.53, Central Wyoming eighth at 31.10 and Lamar ninth at 32.53.
The district standings are not official until all scores are posted at the end of the month. MCC has never won a district championship.
Individually, sophomore Ethan Gough (sophomore, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa) has clinched the individual Region IX championship and three other MCC golfers are looking to finish in the top four to be named all-Region IX first team. The fifth through eighth-place finishers in the individual standings will be named all-region IX second team.
Gough has 85 standings points and leads Eastern Wyoming's George Cordall with 65 points, who clinched the No. 2 spot in the region. After Gough finished in fourth place in the first Region IX meet of the spring (his lowest finish of the year), he has captured three-straight tournament wins: March 31 at the OJC meet in La Junta, Colo.; April 7 at the MCC meet; and April 13 at the NJC meet. He has claimed 35 out of a possible 40 points this spring and for the-year long standings-race has earned at least five points in every one of the 10 Region IX tournaments.
Gough has a scoring average of 69.5 on the season with his low score coming at the Otero meet March 30 when he posted a 64 on the final round for the second of his three-straight spring wins.
Three MCC golfers are vying for the other two top spots and the first-team Region IX designation.
Freshman Cade Cryer (Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) is third in the standings with 45 points, sophomore Brayden Dahl (Outer West Durban, South Africa) is in fourth place with 36 points and sophomore Cayden Wynne (Lincoln) is in a tie for sixth place with 33 points. Also in the running for the first-team honors are Hunter Hall of Central Wyoming (34 points), Jackson Rottschafer of Northeastern JC (33 points), and Augustin Pizzorno of Otero (30 points).
For all the up-to-date information on MCC golf this season including, schedules, statistics, rosters and photos, please visit the official website of MCC Athletics at mccindians.com