Golf heads to National tourney
Campus Times
May 3, 2002
The University of La Verne golf team fought cold weather and a world-class
golf course as it turned in scores that earned them a second place finish
in the conference tournament last Tuesday, April 30.
"The wind howled and swirled," head coach Rex Huigens said
of the conditions for the 36-hole Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference Championship at La Purisima in Lompoc, Calif.
Joey Murray, after receiving the honor of medalist two weeks earlier
at the University of Redlands SCIAC-18 with his score of 71, carved his
way around La Purisima in the morning to a first round tournament low of
76. The afternoon proved a different story, though, as Murray tallied an
83 in his second round of play for a tournament total of 159 and the low
for ULV.
The top seed for the Leopards in the event, Joe Skovron, followed Murray
by one stroke with a tournament-total of 160 after two consecutive 80s on
the day.
"Disappointing. That's the first word that comes to mind,"
Skovron said. He continued to express that, as an individual, he simply
did not play very well.
Also contributing were Andrew Garcia with a second round 77 for a total
of 160 and Mario DiCarlo with an afternoon score of 79 for a total of 164,
which, said Huigens, were "very good scores" for the team.
The top four scores for each round were counted as ULV managed totals
of 324 and 318 for a second-place tournament mark of 642, five behind Redlands'
637.
"We're very close," said Huigens of the competition between
ULV and Redlands. "[We] knocked heads all year."
In reference to the team's play, Huigens said, "I was proud of
the guys. They held it together as a team. This is a great bunch of guys.
They have gotten more solid as the year went on."
He continued to emphasize the positive aspects of the Leopards' past
and present finishes in the tournament.
"We've been second three years in a row. The good thing is that
we're consistent. That's what you want: a chance to win a Championship."
An important factor resting largely on play in the conference tournament
is the selection for the teams to play in the national tournament to be
held, this year, May 13-16 in Lincoln, Neb. As a second-place finisher,
ULV managed to stay ahead of top-SCIAC competition like Claremont, which
helped its bid for a spot in Nationals.
As of the morning of May 1, the National Board has indeed given ULV
a place in Nebraska as one of the top teams in the nation. In order to be
handed a berth to the National Tournament, the Leopards needed to be one
of the top three teams in their district, which includes Division III schools
in Texas, California, Washington and Oregon. Huigens said: the Leopards
look to be No. 2 in the district overall.
Huigens said that the Leopard goal in the National Tournament is just
to "represent ourselves well."
He continued to talk about advantages he sees for ULV in the tournament,
"It'll be helpful that three of these guys have been there before,"
he said.
Whatever the experience or advantages of ULV or any team competing in
the tournament, it all comes down to the performance on the days of battle.
ULV will attempt to bring home the National Title through the 72 holes
of play in the tournament.