Sam Houston 12th at NCAA Regional
5/16/2015 5:42:00 PM | Men's Golf
During the final round of the 2015 Washington NCAA Regional Saturday, Sam Houston started strong, climbing as high as tenth place in the standings.
But Pepperdine and Virginia Commonwealth fought back at the end and the Bearkats finished the tournament in 12th with a three-day score of 300-295-288 -- 883.
The Bearkats' round of 288 Saturday was Sam Houston's best 18 holes of the event held on challenging layout at the Olympic Course at Gold Mountatin.
“I'm so proud of what this team has accomplished this season,” Sam Houston head coach Brandt Kieschnick said. “We ended the regular season in the top 50 in the country, won our second consecutive Southland championship and represented Sam Houston in the NCAA Regional for the second year in a row.
"We didn't have the performance up here that we wanted, but we competed hard. Just to have the opportunity to play on this great golf course with such outstanding teams was a terrific reward for our players.”
Three of the five Bearkats are seniors who made their final appearances playing for Sam Houston Saturday. J. T. Taylor finished 24th in the individual standings with an even-par 72-72-72 — 216. Zach Cabra, who leaves with Sam Houston's all-time low career stroke average tied for 39th along with sophomore Andrew Ertel at 221. Logan Boatner placed 64th with a 227 total. Freshman Jake McCrory was 72nd with a 234 total.
“Our three seniors, J. T., Zach and Logan, have laid such a strong foundation for this program,” Kieschnick said. “Getting to the regionals and competing for a spot in the NCAA national championships is now the norm for Sam Houston golf. They've done a great job for us.”
Alabama-Birmingham won the team championship with a score of 843. UAB, South Carolina (845), Southern California (847), TCU (854) and Washington (854) were the top five finishers and advance to the NCAA national championships in Florida.
Following completion of play, the Sam Houston team began their return to Huntsville with a ferry ride from Bremerton to Seattle across Puget Sound.
"This whole trip was such a great experience for the players," Kieschnick said. "We played on one of the most beautiful - and toughest -- courses in the country and had a great trip. It will be something the guys will remember for a long time. Now, its up to our returning freshman and sophomore to provide leadership for our upcoming 2015-16 team and begin working to get back to the regionals again next year."
