JUCO golf: Warriors headed back to national tournament
Apr. 26—WICHITA, Kan. — The fifth-ranked Indian Hills men's golf team recorded its 13th consecutive top-three finish at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Central District championship after placing second overall on Tuesday afternoon. The Warriors shot a 19-over-par to finish as district runner-up.
After holding strong in second-place after the first two rounds on Monday, the Warriors took over the top of the field early on in round three to open up Tuesday. Indian Hills and Dodge City Community College stayed neck-and-neck in the early goings, but the Conquistadors prevailed down the stretch.
"It was not the finish we were looking for down the stretch of our last round," stated IHCC head men's golf coach Michael Wetrich. "I'm proud of how the guys played in today's windy conditions. I'm very excited to see what we can do at nationals after a couple weeks of rest and practice."
Competing at Crestview Country Club the Warriors posted a total team score of 883 to place nine shots ahead of third-place Hutchinson Community College, the two-time defending national champions, and just six strokes behind Dodge City. The Warriors' opening round 291 was the third-best round of any program in the 10-team field and followed up with a 297 before a third-round 295 closed out the tournament.
Indian Hills was led by freshman Gaspar Glaudas, who posted a three-over-par score 219 to finish in a three-way tie for third-place overall. Glaudas posted an opening round two-under-par 70, tied for the second-lowest round of any individual in the 62-player field.
Glaudas' opening round of 70 was matched by teammate Jose Miguel Ramirez's third round total which propelled the freshman to jump six spots on the final day to finish 10th overall. Ramirez finished the three-round event with a five-over-par 221.
Taimur Malik tied for 12th place overall with a seven-over-par 223 while Edouard Cereto (Béziers, France/Lycee Jean Moulin) tied for 14th overall with an eight-over-par 224. Sophomore Jaskaran Sohal and freshman Shinju Aoki both placed in the top-25 for the Warriors.
The Warriors, ranked No. 5 in the latest Bushnell/Golfweek NJCAA DI Men's Golf Rankings and No. 7 in the NJCAA Coaches Poll, fired a tournament-best 48 birdies to lead the field. Cereto led all Warriors with 12 birdies over the course of the three rounds, second-most in the field while Glaudas totaled 11. Aoki added 10 birdies for the Warriors.
Malik was one of just nine individuals to record an eagle and added six birdies.
Dating back to the 2010 season, the Warriors have now placed inside the top-three at each of the 13 district tournaments held during that span. During that span, Indian Hills has collected 10 district titles, two runner-up finishes, and a third-place finish.
The top-five finish at this year's district tournament gives the Warriors an automatic berth into the upcoming NJCAA Divisioin I Men's Golf National Tournament. The Warriors will be seeking a national champion May 16-19 at Sand Creek Station Golf Course in Newton, Kansas.
