Order restored: Dalton State men back on top with conference title, Hoover is low medalist

Daniel Mayes, The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.
·2 min read

Apr. 19—The Dalton State College men's golf team had won six straight Southern States Athletic Conference championships before being dethroned a year ago.

The Roadrunners took back the top spot on Wednesday.

Dalton State breezed past the competition at the SSAC championship in Greenville, Alabama, this week, taking a 36-stroke victory over runner-up Blue Mountain Christian in the three-round tournament to earn a seventh conference title in eight tries.

"This has been a chip on their shoulders for the last year wanting to make sure that this the first priority of post-season," said Dalton State coach Ben Rickett. "What a week from the guys. We have been slowly trending in the right direction and to finally put it all together was a true testament to the work these players have put in all season."

Dalton State's Brock Hoover took individual medalist honors as the top three finishers were Roadrunners and all five DSC competitors finished in the top 10.

Hoover shot a tournament-low 68 in the final round Wednesday to finish with a 6-under, beating out teammate Gavin Noble by one stroke. Steve Kibare finished third at 1-under, Trevor Bassett took seventh at 5-over and Cole Wentworth was 10th with a 10-over.

Third-ranked Dalton State ended day one with a tie at the top with No. 24 Blue Mountain at a 6-over 294. A 282 in Tuesday's round two helped the Roadrunners grab a 15-stroke lead, and the Roadrunners finished strong with a tournament-low round of 277 (-11) to pull away for the win.

Dalton State finished at 11-under (853). Blue Mountain Christian (+25, 889) finished second and William Carey (+46, 910) finished third. The Roadrunners finished a whopping 163 strokes ahead of seventh-place finisher Brewton-Parker.

The SSAC also announced individual honorees at the conference championships Wednesday. Kibare was named the conference's player of the year, Noble was named the newcomer of the year and Rickett was named coach of the year. Bassett, Hoover, Kibare and Noble were named All-SSAC first team, filling four of the six spots with Dalton State Roadrunners. Bassett and Tucker Windham were named to the all-academic team.

Dalton State next competes for a national title.

The 2021 national champions will take part in the NAIA national tournament in Mesa, Arizona, starting May 16.