Wittenberg University, the NCAA Division III National Champions
(Wittenberg photo)
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, FL (May 19, 2017) - Garrett Brickley led Wittenberg University to a national championship Friday, closing with a four-under 68 that gave the Tigers a two-shot win over Guilford College in the NCAA Division III Golf Championship at Mission Inn Resort.
Wittenberg, who entered the day leading by two shots over Guilford, held off the Quakers with a five-over 293 total. Sam Stilwell (73), Colin Laszlo (76), Mark David Wright (76), and Cameron Willis (79) join Brickley as NCAA champions.
Guilford had more balanced scoring on the final day, with Ty Palmer (72), Zach Evens (72), Josh Hill (74), Harrison Frye (75) and Kell Graham (76) contributing to a 293 score that would have been good enough to win had it not been for Brickley's performance and Wittenberg's hot finish.
Wittenberg was ten-over as a team on the first 13 holes, but played the final five holes in five-under to overtake Guilford, who played the same stretch in one under. Brickley birdied three of the last five including seventeen and eighteen, Stilwell birdied the last, and Wright birdied three of the last five.
The University of Texas at Tyler finished third, eight shots back, followed by Huntingdon College and Greensboro College tied fourth, ten shots back.
Brickley had the chance to go for the double by getting into a playoff for the individual title. But Josh Gibson of Hope College, who earlier had the low round of the tournament with a five-under 67, held him off on the first playoff hole to become the NCAA D3 individual champion.
Wittenberg University is a liberal arts and sciences college founded in 1845, affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and located in Springfield, Ohio.
View results for NCAA Division III Championship
ABOUT THE NCAA Division III Championship
72 hole championship of NCAA Division III
men's college golf teams. Team (best four scores
out of
five players each round) and individual competitions.
View Complete Tournament Information