Index of Sports Press Releases

April 23, 2008

DWU men win GPAC golf title
The Daily Republic

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Exactly 12 months ago, Dakota Wesleyan University was struggling through a treacherous two rounds at the Great Plains Athletic Conference Men’s Golf Championships en route to a last-place finish.

What a difference a year makes.

The Tigers completed an improbable worst-to-first scenario Tuesday at Green Valley Golf Course in Sioux City, Iowa, when they pulled away from the field to claim the GPAC Championship. DWU entered the final 18 holes with a six-shot lead after shooting a 305 Monday, and Tuesday it was even better. The Tigers carded a 297, and their two-day total of 602 was 11 shots better than Nebraska Wesleyan and Dordt, which tied for second.

“It feels great,” said DWU head coach Adam Anderson. “The guys knew that we were only halfway done and they’ve all played enough competitive golf so they know anything can happen on any given day. I still think deep down that they think we could’ve played even better, but we did what we needed to do and we’re happy.”

The Tigers clinched the title by proving they have the deepest team in the GPAC from top-to-bottom. All five DWU golfers have been the medalist at a tournament either this fall or spring, and Tuesday the team’s highest individual score was a 5-over-par 77. Part of the difference is the addition of two fabulous freshmen — Tyler Evenson and Chris Pritchard — to add the necessary depth to an already-solid nucleus.

“It speaks volumes that we have five really solid players,” Anderson said. “I know that any one of them can shoot under par on any given day. We know if one has an off-day, they have solid teammates they can rely on.

“Last year we were at the point where we pretty much had three guys who could shoot under par, so bringing in a couple solid freshmen and now having a set core of five guys, that really does kind of take your program to the next level.”

However, none of the Tigers really had an off-day Tuesday. Sophomore Nick Gates, a Mitchell native, paced the team with an even-par 72, which was 10 strokes better than his 82 the day before. Junior Brett Abbotts continued his consistent play with a 74, Evenson carded a 75, senior Tom Hoek shot a 76 and Pritchard, added a 77.

Evenson was the team’s top individual finisher with a two-day total of 147, which was good for third-place overall. Anderson said the freshman has really responded lately to a few swing changes.

“Tyler’s been playing really well lately,” Anderson said. “His swing is really coming around. We’ve been working on it a lot this year and I think he’s definitely to the point where he feels comfortable and has more confidence. It’s the perfect time to have everything coming together.”

Anderson also applauded Gates’ resolve to come back and lead the team after a tough round Monday. He finished with a total of 154, which tied him for 13-place overall. In fact, that’s actually been pretty typical of the Tigers this spring — someone new always seems to step up.

“Everybody knows that anyone can step up at any given moment,” Anderson said. “Nick new that even though he had an 82 yesterday, he could contribute today. He played well. He played like he knows he can.”

Abbotts also cracked the top 10 with a total of 149. He shot a 75 on Monday, and even managed to shave a stroke off that score in Tuesday’s round. Pritchard was also consistent, shooting a 78-77 for a total of 155 and an 18th place tie, and Hoek, the team’s captain, dropped four strokes off his score for a 36-hole total of 156, which tied him for 23rd.

“Brett’s the only junior and he’s going to be our leader next year, so to have him play consistent is a great thing this time of year,” Anderson said. “Everybody’s feeling pretty good about their games.”

NWU and Dordt were the runners up with identical 613s. Northwestern’s Luke Vermeer held on to win the individual title with a 144 (70-74). Hastings was fourth (617), Midland Lutheran was fifth (619) and the University of Sioux Falls was sixth (621).

The top six teams, excluding Nebraska Wesleyan because it is an NCAA Division III school, all earned a spot in the NAIA Region III meet Monday and Tuesday in Sioux Falls. The field will also include North Dakota’s Dickinson and Minot State, and Anderson said it’s plausible that his team will enter as the favorite to win a trip to nationals, and that’s just fine with them.

“Anyone knows that any team can catch fire, but I would think over the course of the season, we’ve kind of proven to everyone in the conference and the region that we’re kind of the team to beat,” Anderson said. “We might have that bull’s-eye, but I think the guys do enjoy that.

“We got phase one done today. Hopefully we can take care of phase two next week.”

Final Results

1. Dakota Wesleyan, 305-297-602 (Tyler Evenson, 72-75-147; Brett Abbotts, 75-74-149; Nick Gates, 82-72-154; Chris Pritchard, 78-77-155; Tom Hoek, 80-76-156). T2. Nebraska Wesleyan, 314-299-613. T2. Dordt, 311-302-613. 4. Hastings, 311-306-617. 5. Midland Lutheran, 314-305-619. 6. Sioux Falls, 320-301-621. 7. Briar Cliff, 324-301-625. 8. Morningside College, 325-305-630. 9. Northwestern, 318-321-639. 10. Concordia, 327-318-645. 11. Doane, 336-319-655.