Men’s golf wraps up season, NSIC championships
The Augustana men’s golf team finished up its season on April 23 with a ninth place finish at the NSIC Men’s Golf Championship. The three-day tournament took place in Blue Springs, Missouri, at Adams Pointe Golf Club.
The Bemidji State University Beavers won the tournament with a score of 880, beating the Winona State University Warriors by one stroke.
The Vikings struggled in the beginning of the tournament, shooting 332 for 10th place on Friday.
“We were all very frustrated after the first day, but coach did a good job of telling us it happens and we deserve to be there because we’re all really talented,” sophomore Will Allen said.
The Vikings improved over the next two days, shooting 316 on Saturday and 305 on Sunday. Augustana’s final 953 strokes placed them in ninth.
Three of the five participants for the Vikings were freshmen, including Jacob Stewart, Blake Northagen and Chase McDonald. The other two vikings were Allen and junior Cullen Johnson.
“We’re a young team,” head coach Mike Krsnak said. “We have no seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen.”
The Vikings were led by Allen’s 20th-place finish, with 230 strokes overall. Johnson and McDonald tied for 29th place, recording 238 strokes.
“The first day I played solid,” Allen said. “I felt the last two days I kind of left some shots out there, but that’s golf sometimes.”
The Viking’s season wraps up with the conclusion of the NSIC tournament. The offseason for the Viking golfers consists of strength training and individual tournaments.
“A lot of us will go out and compete in individual tournaments over the summer, but we’re going to try something this year and keep each other accountable,” Allen said. “The guys from Sioux Falls are going to try and train together, and when the guys from Minnesota come back, we’ll all go out and play a round together.”
The Vikings will open their fall season Sept. 6 at the Bridges Golf Course in Winona, Minnesota.
Looking at next season, the Vikings currently have one recruit committed and will retain their entire team, as no one is graduating.
