No. 12 Stags on quest to repeat at NCAA Championship
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Florida – Following a SCIAC Championship title, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's golf team will head to Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida to participate in the 2017 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships at Mission Inn Resort & Club from May 16-19. No. 12 CMS will be among the 33 schools participating at the tournament which features a total of 215 individuals.
The Stags won the national title last season after finishing six shots ahead of runner-up Huntingdon College while sophomore Alex Wrenn (CMC) almost took the individual title after getting edged out by Evan Cox of Virginia Wesleyan College in a three-way playoff. The 2016 championships were played at Midvale Country Club and Mendon Golf Club in Rochester, New York.
With four members from the national championship team returning to this year's edition of the tournament, the Stags hope to repeat the success they had last year. Junior Jonathan Shaw (CMC) finished tied in first place at the SCIAC Championship after scoring even on a 216-stroke course and earning All-SCIAC First Team honors. Shaw averaged 73.38 this season and scored as low as 70 in a single round back at the California State Intercollegiate Tournament.
Junior Matt Shuman (CMC) has built a reputation around his consistency and had several outstanding performances throughout the season. At the Jekyll Island Collegiate Invitational, Shuman shot 71 in his first two rounds and finished tied for 15th. He also shot a season-low 69 at the West Cup, where he finished tied for fourth. His classmate Johnny Brandt (CMC) has finished in the top-15 in all three SCIAC events this season, placing tied for ninth at the SCIAC Championship. Brandt also was the second-highest finisher in his region at Jekyll Island, scoring 223, including an incredible 72 at the final day of the tournament.
Wrenn hopes to find similar success as he did last year and be a major contributor to the Stags' team score. The sophomore has had several excellent tournaments this season, taking first place at the West Cup Individual, shooting 149 over two rounds. After a rough first round at the SCIAC Championship, Wrenn demonstrated his maturity and poise by scoring 74 and a season-low 70 in the next two rounds, respectively, to finish tied for ninth at the SCIAC Championship.
Freshman Harrison Brenner (CMC) has been capable of posting low-scoring rounds in his debut season, scoring as little as 68 back at the TMU Spring Invitational. He also shot a 70 in the final round of the SCIAC Championship to finish tied for 13th.
By Young Kim
Sports Information Assistant
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