Strong Regionals win includes medalist, top 4 of 5 scores in 7-team field
The Kirkwood Community College Golf team will once again take their strong record and high hopes to a national tournament. The Eagles men capped a strong regular season with medalist honors and convincing individual scores in play near Des Moines.
The Eagles finished the two rounds of the Region XI Tournament in Pleasant Hill with a team score of 579, 39 strokes better than their nearest opponent, Iowa Lakes. AIB of Des Moines was third with a combined 621.
Derek McConnell led all players with the medalist score of 141. Eagles teammates Dillon Cooney and Jacques Ungerer had identical 145s, with Kyler Stahle also finishing well for Kirkwood with a 148, a tie with Iowa Central’s Austin Morrow. Ned Carter completed the Eagles finishes with a 160.
The win puts Kirkwood in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Phoenix, Ariz., May 18-21 at the Palm Valley Golf Course.
“The kids played great all weekend and I’m excited for them,” said Head Coach Darin Pint. “This is our seventh straight Region XI championship and the sixth time we’ve won the Individual Medalist honor.”
The Eagles golfers end the regular season with an overall record of 66-13 heading into the national competition. “The team had a 22-11 record early on, so we could tell these young men started believing in one another and working as a team,” Pint added.