[Championship Page]
[PDF Release]
RIPON, Wis. – After capturing the first title in the school’s history Carroll aims for a repeat performance at the 2012 Midwest Conference (MWC) Men’s Golf Championship. Monmouth (11 team titles) and Knox (29 team titles) have combined for 40 team championships and will once again be in the mix after finishing second and third a year ago. Carroll’s Eric Busalacchi is back to defend his individual championship after shooting a three round total of 232 in 2011. The championship will be held at the Aldeen Golf Club blue tee course – an 18-hole, par 72 layout that measures 6,471 yards. The winner will be crowned the 2012 MWC Champion and will compete as the league representative at the NCAA National Championship located in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. May 15-18, 2012.
Last season Beloit took a ninth place finish and looks to move up the standings when they travel to Rockford for the 2012 championship. The Buccaneers will be playing for its first team championship since the 1968 season and will rely on Joe Poshepny to lead the way. Poshepny averaged 80 shots per round in six rounds and captured four top-10 finishes for Beloit this season. Nate Christofferson has a low round of 79 on the season and averages 89 shots in four events and Steve Dowden has a low of 91 in a team-high nine rounds this season.
Carroll was able to snap Monmouth’s two year hold on the championship with a 19 stroke victory in 2011 and return for a repeat performance. During the regular season Carroll shot 311.4 strokes per round, good for second in the MWC, led by a 296 in the first round of the Gorlok Spring Invitational on April 4. Eric Busalacchi is also back to defend his individual championship after shooting a three round total of 232 last year, which was three shots better than anyone else in the field. Busalacchi has three wins and a top-10 finish in each of his ten events this year all while leading the MWC with a 74.8 shot average. Sam Luedtke (77.5 shots per round) and Blaine Lynch (79.8 shots per round) will compliment Busalacchi as they have combined for five top-5 finish this season and average under 80 shots per round.
Grinnell aims to move up the standings this year after a fifth place finish in 2011 on the back of Peter Marsho and a steady roster. The Pioneers average just over 332 shots per round which is good for fourth in the conference while Marsho’s 76.4 shot average ranks second among all individuals. Marsho has a pair of top-5 finishes this season in ten rounds which is highlighted by shooting a 74 at the Simpson Spring Invitational on March 27. Ian Luby has played a team-best 12 rounds this season with a shooting average of 84.5 while Jon Cohen averages just fewer than 85 shots per round with a season-low of 76.
With a balanced roster the Blueboys look to make noise when they travel to Rockford for the 2012 championship. Illinois Col. has eight different players that have a top-10 finish in its nine matches this season while six of them have a top-5 finish. Dustin Shea has been the top performer during the regular season averaging only 82 shots per round and shooting a team-low round of 77. In ten rounds Wilson Neill holds the second lowest team average (84.1) while Tyler Eads shot a low round of 78 this season. Koert Brown has a pair of top-5 finishes and is tied for second the team with a low round of 78 while averaging 86.2 shots per round.
Knox enters the championship after a third place finish last season and was only 30 strokes behind champion Carroll. This season Knox has carried a team average of 333.1, good for fifth in the league, and have two of the top-10 golfers in the league. Bobby Stuebi holds the fifth-best average in the league (77.5) which includes a pair of top-5 finishes and a low round of 73. James Fenner ranks tenth in the league with a 78.3 shot average in 18 rounds while shooting a low round of 70 in the second round of the Prairie Fire Classic on March 31. Stuebi and Jamie Jang both tied for fourth at last year’s championship as Jang has an 82.9 shot average with a low round of 73.
After back-to-back eighth place finishes Lawrence tries to move up in the standings despite losing its top performer from a year ago. 2011 runner-up John Pechan is no longer on the roster after shooting a 235 last season, and that means the Vikings will now be relying on Anton Olsson to pick up that slack after a successful regular season. Olsson averaged 81.8 shots per round which was highlighted by a low round of 76 at the Carroll Invitational which was one of his three top-10 finishes. Brad Scurfield will also be a key contributor after finishing second on the team with an 88.9 shot average with William Thoren shooting a low round of 84 in six events.
Monmouth aims to get back on the winning track after falling by 19 strokes to Carroll in 2011 to break the team’s run of two straight championships. If the regular season is any indication then the Fighting Scots will be right in the mix as they held the top round average of 310.8 in 19 rounds of competition. Monmouth also has three golfers in the top-10 of the conference led by Ben Olson who holds a 77.9 shot average in 19 rounds that includes four of top-5 finishes. Britt Bothast (78.1) and Scott McNamara (78.3) are also in the top-10 with McNamara picking up a win and Bothast having a pair of top-5 finishes this season. Olson was a 10th place finisher last season and has a team-best seven top-10 finishes which is highlighted by a par round of 72 at the Blueboy Invitational while McNamara shot a one under 71 at the Warner Classic on March 14.
Ripon enters the championship after a sixth place finish in 2011 and are looking to move up in the standings in 2012. So far this season Ripon has shot an average of 359.5 during the regular season and are led by Zach Muelemans who has an 87.1 shot average in six events this season. Muelemans also holds the team’s low round score of 78 in the second round of the Ripon Invitational. Travis Bitters has had a strong season averaging 87.6 shots while earning a top-5 finish at the St. Norbert Fall Invitational where he shot an 83 which accounts for his lowest round. Nic Schaalma (88.3) and Peter Hayes (89.2) also average fewer than 90 shots per round with Hayes picking up a top-10 finish at the St. Norbert Fall Invitational.
The Green Knights are in search of their first golf championship in school history and will make a run at the team title after a good regular season. St. Norbert averages just over 322 shots per round this season which is the third best in the conference and also have two golfers in the top-5 in the MWC in Joe Martin and Brandon Gries. Martin holds the third lowest scoring average in the league at 76.9 and has placed in the top-5 in four of his six events, winning the Beloit Invitational on April 21. Gries has two rounds that he shot par or better and like Martin has four top-5 finishes this year. Gries holds the team’s lowest score of the year when he shot a two under 70 at the Carroll Invitational to win the event while shooting a par 72 in the second round of the Ripon Invitational. Nic Vrubley returns after finishing eighth at the 2011 championships as he has won three events this year and averages 80.3 shots per round.