“We had our best winning percentage since 2004,” said MVNU head coach Mark Stiverson, who wrapped up his third season guiding the team. “This was not accomplished by accident. We had a determined group of players who had set both personal and team goals. Then, they went out and worked hard to prepare for the season. Many of them met their goals.”

The Cougars played in three tournaments in the fall with the “B” team also playing in one tournament. MVNU finished second at the Malone College Fall Invitational, fifth at the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) Invitational, and 10th out of 23 teams at the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament in Panama City, Fla. Senior Preston Knight just missed earning NCCAA All-American status as he fired a 152 at the two-day event.

“The fall season turned out to be a little sluggish despite the second-place finish at Malone,” said Stiverson. “We had some difficulty playing in Kentucky and at the NCCAA Tournament. Then, winter came and ceased all regular play. We were left with only the driving range to work on our game.”

The Cougars got the spring portion of their schedule off on the right track as MVNU finished first out of seven teams at the Union (Ky.) College Invitational held on the first weekend of March. Senior Tim Hepner earned medalist honors by firing an even-par 108 in the 27-hole tournament that was shortened on the second day due to rain.

“Due to various scheduling conflicts, our first spring tournament was actually two weeks before we went on our spring break trip which is very unusual,” said Stiverson. “Normally, we have maybe a week or so to practice before spring break, but old man winter would not give in this year. The team went to the Union tournament without hardly playing at all and came away as the winner. That was fantastic, and they were rewarded for their off-season work.”

Following the team’s spring trip to Brooksville, Fla., the team finished 10th out of 19 teams at the Southeastern Kentucky Intercollegiate Invitational. Then, MVNU finished second out of nine teams at the Cedarville University Invitational with senior Anthony Savage claiming medalist honors with a two-day total of 149.

The Cougars followed up that performance with a second-place finish out of 11 teams at the Capital University Invitational where Knight and freshman Alex Carroll finished tied for sixth as they each shot a 154.

After finishing fourth out of eight teams as their own MVNU Invitational with Knight finishing as the runner-up with a one-over-par 143, the Cougars closed out the regular season by finishing fifth out of seven teams at the Malone Invitational as junior Matt Kerns carded a career-best 150.

In the American Mideast Conference/NAIA Region IX Tournament, MVNU finished fourth out of 10 teams as the Cougars posted a 54-hole team total of 914. Knight and junior Jared Schlabach both earned a spot on the All-AMC and All-NAIA Region IX Teams as they both tied for tenth place by firing a 227 each.

“The rest of the spring, we continued to battle as we took second place in a couple more tournaments and posting respectable finishes in several others,” said Stiverson. “These guys should be very proud of their work and accomplishments this year. Any time you compete in something, you want to do your best and you want to win. I can say that these guys did their best to accomplish both of these things every tournament we played.”

Hepner finished with the lowest average on the team at 76.1, while Knight was just behind at 76.2. Junior Tyler Tinch (78.0), Savage (78.3), and Schlabach (79.2) rounded out the top five, while Kerns (80.1), Carroll (80.1), and freshman Jay Ruffner (82.1) each saw action in at least one tournament. Freshman Cory Palmer rounded out the team with an 82.2 average.

In addition to their achievements on the golf course, Knight and Kerns were also recognized for their efforts in the classroom as both players were named to the AMC All-Academic Team and the NCCAA and NAIA Scholar-Athlete Teams. Knight has a 3.70 grade point average as a Criminal Justice major, while Kerns has posted a 3.50 grade point average as a Management major.

“We will have some big shoes to fill with these seniors (Hepner, Knight, and Savage) finishing up their careers,” said Stiverson. “All of them were very regular on the tournament team in their years at MVNU. However, we have a good start on competing for those positions with several very good performances by other younger members of the team.”