Winona, MN-
The men's golf team from Minnesota State Community & Technical College is off to a strong start at the 2019 NJCAA Division III Golf Championship.
Results from the opening round of play at the 2019 NJCAA Championship, held at the Chautauqua (NY) Golf Club are below. The par 72 course in will serve as host for the four day event, and is a familar location to the M State Spartans, who are making their eighth consecutive appearance in the competition. Head coach Jason Retzlaff has led his squad to the longest qualification streak of any NJCAA Division III golf program.
The Spartans were led by tandem Blake Bloedorn and Hunter Moen, who tied for the lowest round of the day at 75. M State has finished in the top five in each of the seven years of their current streak, and are three off the lead after shooting a 317 on Tuesday. Sandhills CC - the 2014 champion - is in first place with a 314, while 2017 team champion Georgia Military College is in second with a 315.
Coach Retzlaff noted: "It's great to be in Chautauqua again on a challenging course that played tough today. As a team we struggled with the putter and feel that is something that will improve in the upcoming days. Blake and Hunter really carried us. Blake had one of the better ball striking rounds I can remember in our years here. Hunter had a great back nine with 3 birdies and hit a lot of quality shots. This tourney is a 4 day marathon so we are pleased with our position after the first round."
The Spartans will tee off today at 9:40 AM Eastern Time at Chautauqua Golf Club for Round Two. Click here to go to the NJCAA Division III National Tournament event page, or visit: http://jccjayhawks.com/events/njcaa-championship .
Team Standings after Day One:
1.Sandhills CC (Pinehurst, NC)- 314
2.Georgia Military College (Milledgeville, GA)- 315
3.M State-Fergus Falls (Fergus Falls, MN)- 317
4.Columbus State CC (Columbus, OH)- 324
5.Niagara County CC (Sanborn, NY)- 327
6.County College of Morris (Randolph, NJ)- 333
7.Butler County CC (Butler,PA)- 336
8.Cayuga CC (Auburn, NY)- 342
9.Northampton CC (Bethlehem, PA)- 346
10.Nassau CC (Garden City, NJ)- 355
11.Madison College (Madison, WI)- 357
M State Individual Results:
Blake Bloedorn- 75 (T-1st)
Hunter Moen- 75 (T-1st)
Carter Justesen- 82
Wyatt Blomseth- 85
Austin Miller- 90
Photo credit to Jeff Haukos.
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About the Minnesota College Athletic Conference
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State system. The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions. The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.