The Mount Vernon Nazarene College men's golf team continued to play well as the Cougars finished second out of 15 teams at the National Christian College Athletic Association national tournament held at the Prestwick Country Club on Tuesday and Wednesday.
After finishing the first round on Tuesday in third place with a team-total of 315, MVNC posted another 315 on Wednesday to move up a spot and claim the runner-up plaque with a two-day total of 630. Defending national champion and host school Malone College won the national title by shooting an impressive team-total of 607 over two days.
Individually, Roy Adair of Spring Arbor (Mich.) College earned medalist honors with a 147. The Cougars were led by senior Matt Durst, who carded a 154. Caine Bricker finished with a 156, while Chad Gress and Brian Bumgarner shot a 160 and a 168 respectively. Sam McGraw rounded out the scoring with a 169.
"I was really pleased with the way that the guys competed in this tournament," said head coach Mike O'Hara. "We are definitely playing like one of the top 15 or 20 teams in the country, and all the players are pushing each other for the right to play in the next tournament. This will keep making us better."
Durst and junior Tim Hirschy were each named to the NCCAA Academic All-American Team. In order to qualify for this honor, a player must be a junior or a senior with a cumulative grade point average of 3.40 or higher.
MVNC will return to action this weekend when the team will travel to the Urbana University Fall Invitational. The two-day event gets under way on Friday morning.
