Southern men's golf team celebrates awards, prepares for regionals

John Hacker, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·2 min read

Apr. 28—The Missouri Southern men capped off their MIAA golf season with awards for the coach and two players as they prepare for the NCAA Regionals in Minnesota later this month.

Lions senior Tradgon McCrae was named 2023 MIAA Golfer of the Year and Coach Mike Wheeler captured his first Coach of the Year honor.

"This is the first time I've taken a team to regionals in 13 years as a coach," said Wheeler. "It's the best year I've had, but my thoughts are very simple — go finish in the top six and go to nationals. I know there are teams that are thinking, 'Oh, we're going to Minnesota because this particular area is where all this flooding is going on now,' but all my guys are thinking about is we're going to grind it out. Let it rain, let it flood, whatever."

Wheeler coached the Lions to top three finishes in five of 11 events and top 10 finishes in eight of 11 tournaments played during the 2023 season.

"I couldn't be more proud of the guys," Wheeler said. "They are all grinders and they never quit. That's who they are and I can't take a lot of credit for that, that's just who they are. They're all that way, they don't quit."

McCrae finished at the top of the 2022-23 MIAA Designated Standings to be crowned the Golfer of the Year. The senior from Plainville, Kansas, competed in three of the Association's four designated events and placed in the top five in each.

He also captured the individual title at the 24th Annual NSU Golf Classic, tied for fifth at the Broncho Invitational and was the runner-up at the 2023 MIAA Championship. He led the Lions to a MIAA regular season title, a MIAA tournament title and leads all MIAA golfers with a season average of 71.7.

McCrae heads up the All-MIAA men's golf team, which also included Southern's Ben Marckmann, who finished tied for ninth in the MIAA regular season standings with 21 points from two top-10 finishes at MIAA tournaments.

Marckmann finished the MIAA Championships tied for 27th.

Missouri Southern joins four other MIAA Teams at The Bridges Golf Course at Winona, Minnesota, on May 11-13 for a regional tournament with 10 teams from the Central Region and 10 teams from the Midwest Region.

, all competing for a spot in the 2023 NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships in Ohio May 22-26.