Ohio Colleges Compete in NCAA National Championship
Colleges across the country ended their golf seasons in May with the NCAA Championships. Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona hosted both the Division I Men’s and Women’s tournaments. The University of Florida captured the Men’s title beating Georgia Tech 4-1 in the final match. UF also double dipped as Fred Biondi won the NCAA individual title a couple days prior to match play.
In the Women’s Division I Championship, Wake Forest finished third in the stroke play portion of the NCAA Championship to qualify for the match play segment. The Demon Deacons then outplayed No. 6 Florida State and No. 7 Texas A&M to reach the final match and beat USC 3-1-0 to claim the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Championship.
Ohio State & the University of Cincinnati Men’s Teams Make it to Regionals
Ohio State Men’s Golf Team made it through the Auburn Regional to qualify for the National Championship, but their season came to an end when they failed to make into the top eight after stroke play in Scottsdale, to qualify for the team match play segment of the tournament.
A grad transfer from James Madison, Neal Shipley posted the best individual scores for the Buckeyes with a T-29. Max Moldovan finished T-55. JonErik Alford (T-74), Adam Wallin (81) and Jackson Chandler (82) rounded out the Buckeye squad’s scoring in the National Championship.
The University of Cincinnati (UC) competed in the Las Vegas Regional, but they finished eighth and failed to qualify for the National Championship in Arizona.
This was UC’s first-ever appearance in a Men’s Division I Regional and they finished 14 shots behind East Tennessee State, who grabbed the last spot into the finals.
A highlight for the Bearcats was that Sam Jean tied for ninth in the individual segment and came up just two strokes shy of reaching the finals.
Head Coach Doug Martin said of his team’s efforts,
“It was an unbelievable experience for our young players. I was really happy for Sam to go out on a great note as one of the program’s best players. I’m proud of the guys. Five got NCAA Regional experience, and those five all return next year. The future is bright for our program, and we have to stay hungry.”
Both Ohio State and Kent State Women’s Teams Make It to Regionals
Both Ohio State and Kent State’s Women’s Golf Teams competed in the Athens, Georgia NCAA Regional Championship.
The Lady Buckeyes placed sixth at the NCAA Athens Regional and just missed qualifying for the finals by two strokes.
Kary Hollenbaugh led the team tying for 16th place. Lauren Peter (20th), Aneka Seumanutafa (27th ) and Caley McGinty (37th) also played all three rounds in Athens. Jillian Bourdage competed in the first two rounds and Kailie Vongsaga substituted for her in the final round.
Takagi Earned Trip to NCAA Finals
The Kent State Women’s Golf Team is always loaded with talented women golfers and 2023 was no exception. This season they won their 23rd consecutive MAC Championship and qualified for the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Regionals.
Mid-American Conference (MAC) Freshman of the Year, Leon Takagi finished fifth at the Athens, Georgia Regional to qualify for the NCAA Women’s Championship. The team failed to finish strong enough to make it to the finals and Takagi competed in Scottsdale as an individual.
With scores of 71-72-76, Takagi finished T-47 in Scottsdale, but the freshman proved that she is someone to watch in the coming seasons.
UF Women Finish High In NCAA Division II Championship
University of Findlay Women’s Golf Team finished 3rd in NCAA Women’s Division II National Championship
With scores of 70-74-70 for a combined -2 under par, the Lady Oilers’ Gabby Woods finished runner-up in the Individual portion. Her teammates Jill Schmitmeyer was T-8 and Mary Kelly Mulcahy was T-14.
Tiffin University also made it out of the regionals and finished T-17 in the National Championship.
Men’s NCAA Division III
Wittenberg University made it through regional play and finished 13th in the Men’s NCAA Division III Championship. Matthew Mattioli led Wittenberg with four rounds of +2 over par to finish T-21.
Men’s Division II
Avalon Lakes Golf Club in Warren, Ohio hosted the Men’s NCAA Division II Championship. Oklahoma Christian took the title by 15 shots over Barry University.
Ohio colleges were very involved in the NCAA Championships and proves once again that golf at every level is very strong in the Buckeye State.
