Posted on October 27, 2016
Men's Golf Wins NCCAA Championship for Third Year in a Row
This week, the Colorado Christian University's men's golf team was crowned the NCCAA National Champion for the third year in a row. The Cougars were led by Chase Carlson and Josh Gardella, who both finished in the top 10 and helped win the victory for the team.
After round one, CCU was in fourth place and needed to make up ground on the field in order to get the crown. They did just that, as they jumped up the leaderboard in round two, shooting five strokes better than any other team on that day. That placed the team in first place heading into the final round, but it was a slim lead as Dallas Baptist University trailed behind by just three strokes. The final round was a neck-and-neck battle between CCU and DBU as it came down to the final few holes, but the Cougars were able to hold on and win the tournament by two strokes.
Freshman Chase Carlson was the top CCU golfer, and he finished in second place overall for the tournament. Carlson shot a three-round total of 224 (80,74,70) and finished four shots back of the leader. Junior Josh Gardella also had a top 10 finish, as his three-round total of 229 (80,70,79) put him in a tie for ninth place. Nolan Backman was close behind, as he finished with a total of 232 (76,78,78); teammate Andrew Kennedy was one shot behind with a final total of 233 (74,82,77). Rounding out the championship team was Jack Cummings, who finished the tournament with a total of 238 (81,78,79).
Head Coach Mark Hull was named The NCCAA Head Coach of the Year. It marks the third consecutive year in which Hull has been awarded that honor. Chase Carlson and Josh Gardella were named NCCAA All-Americans for their efforts in the tournament.
The team will now hibernate through the winter, but they will be back in action as soon as the ground thaws in the spring.