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GRINNELL, Iowa - After capturing the school’s first men’s golf championship in 2013 St. Norbert aims to repeat at the 2014 Midwest Conference (MWC) Men’s Golf Championship. St. Norbert also returns 2013 individual champion Nic Vrubley after he shot an eight-over 188. The championship is 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 2014 MWC Champion and will compete as the league representative at the NCAA National Championship located at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, N.C. May 13-16, 2014. The championship kicks off Thursday, May 1 and concludes Saturday, May 3.
Carroll aims to get back on the winning track when it travels to Rockford for the 2014 championship. The Pioneers had captured back-to-back championships in 2011 and 2012 before finishing third last season with a three round total of 791, eight shots back of champion St. Norbert. Brett Hughes leads Carroll after averaging 80.3 shots per round in seven events that included a low round of 75. Henry Mulvey finished in a tie for fifth at last year’s championship and enters as the number two player for the Pioneers. Mulvey averaged 80.4 shots per round with a pair of top-five finishes and a low round of 73.
Grinnell is in search of the school’s first championship since 1973 and the first individual champion since 2002 when Jared Baszler shared the title. Last season Grinnell tied for third in the team standings and return Jon Cohen who finished fourth in 2013. Cohen averaged 80 shots per round in three events and had a team-low round of 76. Chris Marsho is number two on the Pioneers roster averaging 81.6 shots per round while teammate Rockne Decoster averaged 84.7 shots per round. In six rounds during the regular season Grinnell averaged 337 shots per round that ranked sixth in the league.
The Blueboys took home a sixth place finish a year ago and last claimed an MWC Championship in the 1987 season. Illinois Col. is led by Christian Walker who averaged 81.6 shots per round in 10 events that included two top-five finishes and five top-10 finishes. Derek Ade is second on the team with four total top-10 finishes and averaged 81.7 shots per round in nine events. Koert Brown rounds out a strong trio of golfers with an 83.4 shot per round average with a top-five finish on the season.
Knox aims to move up in the standings after a seventh place finish a year ago. Knox enters the championship with 29 total titles that leads all MWC institutions and is in search of its first since 2008. James Fenner returns after an eighth place finish last season and leads the Prairie Fire averaging a team-low 78.2 shots per round. Fenner has a low round score of 72 in the second round of the Prairie Fire Classic on March 29, which is the sixth lowest score in the league this season. Fenner is joined by Ben Schlotter who averaged 92.2 shots per round in five events while Mackinzie Chapman posted a top-10 finish on the year and averaged 92.3 shots per round.
Last season Lawrence tied with Grinnell for fourth at the championship with a score of 824 and plays for a chance to earn the school’s first team title since 2005. Junior Anton Olsson also had a low round of 75 while averaging 80 shots per round. Nigel Schuster averaged 80.4 shots per round and shot a low round of 77 in the first round of the St. Norbert Invitational on April 26-27. The Vikings will be without Rudi Pino, who was their top player during the fall season with a stroke average of 76.5. Pino, also a hockey standout at Lawrence, had surgery on his shoulder during hockey season..
Since 2000 Monmouth has captured five league championships and in 2014 the Fighting Scots play for their first title since 2010. In 2013 Monmouth finished just five shots back of a league title and enter the 2014 championship with a team average of 309.5 shots per round that leads the league. The Fighting Scots also have five golfers ranked in the top-10 of the league led by David Blake. In 17 rounds this season Blake’s 77.5 shot per round average ranked third and included a 69 in the second round of the Scot-Fire Classic on April 25-26. Ryan Suttles tied for fifth at last year’s championship and enters the weekend just behind Blake with a 78.1 shot average. Drake Decker (78.5), Mike Olszewski (79.3), and Jared Johnson (79.4) also rank in the top-10 among golfers with at least five rounds of play this season.
Ripon will not be in contention for a team championship this season due to the fact that they will only send three golfers to Rockford but will still have a chance to claim the school’s first individual champion since 1979. Peter Hayes averaged 83.5 shots per round and posted a low round of 79 at the St. Norbert Invitational. Steven Runge joins Hayes after averaged 103.5 shots per round with a low score of 97. Dan Wohlfert is the third member of the Red Hawks team who completes this weekend in Rockford.
St. Norbert captured its first men’s golf title in 2013 shooting a 783 and also capturing the individual champion with Nic Vrubley shooting a 188 that was three shots better than the runner-up. Vrubley returns for a chance to repeat and enters the 2014 championship as the top performer in the MWC. In 10 rounds of play this season Vrubley averaged 75.3 shots per round led by a low round of 70 that he shot at the Carroll Invitational on April 21. Vrubley was matched by teammate Jacob Hebbard who also shot an MWC low round of 70 at the Carroll Invitational while averaging 77.1 shots per round (second in MWC). Ben Bobinski (79.2) and Nick Mueller (79.4) are the other Green Knight to finish in the top-10 of league golfers.