Men take seventh, Kovach third
Brent Foster
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: Sports
The men's golf team finished its regular season at the MIAA championship Tuesday and must wait for its postseason fate to be determined.
The Bulldogs finished the 54-hole tournament in seventh place in the eight-team MIAA. The seventh-place finish dropped the Bulldogs into sixth place in the final conference standings, which could jeopardize Truman's chances of making the NCAA Div. II regional tournament. The NCAA selects eight teams from each region.
The Bulldogs' region is comprised of 16 teams from the MIAA and the Northern Sun Conference. Last season the NCAA selected six MIAA teams and two from the Northern Sun. The Bulldogs will find out Thursday afternoon whether they made regionals.
"We're still right there on the bubble," head coach Kevin White said. "It could go either way. Last year at this time I thought we were out, and we were in. This year I think we're out, but you never know."
Truman was in good position after the first round to move up the leader board but struggled to get any momentum going in Rounds 2 and 3. The Dogs' 314 in Round 1 put them in a battle for third place, but the men shot 323 and 322 in the final two rounds to end any chances of a high finish.
Freshman Chris Kovach's play was a bright spot for the Bulldogs. Kovach finished in third place overall, just one shot back from Washburn University's Ryan Deutsch and the University of Central Missouri's Justin Yoder. It was the highest finish for a Bulldog at any tournament this spring.
Kovach was named the men's golf MIAA Freshman of the Year.
"He played at a level he needed to play at," White said. "To finish one shot back of being in a playoff for the whole thing is amazing. What hurt him was not being in a position to help close the deal."
Kovach, who had three top-10 finishes in the five scoring events this season, was in the hunt for the individual title the entire tournament, but lightning caused a 45-minute delay just before he was set to tee off on hole 15 in the final round. Kovach was at one under for the round before the delay. He finished the final round with a two-over-par 73.
The Bulldogs finished the 54-hole tournament in seventh place in the eight-team MIAA. The seventh-place finish dropped the Bulldogs into sixth place in the final conference standings, which could jeopardize Truman's chances of making the NCAA Div. II regional tournament. The NCAA selects eight teams from each region.
The Bulldogs' region is comprised of 16 teams from the MIAA and the Northern Sun Conference. Last season the NCAA selected six MIAA teams and two from the Northern Sun. The Bulldogs will find out Thursday afternoon whether they made regionals.
"We're still right there on the bubble," head coach Kevin White said. "It could go either way. Last year at this time I thought we were out, and we were in. This year I think we're out, but you never know."
Truman was in good position after the first round to move up the leader board but struggled to get any momentum going in Rounds 2 and 3. The Dogs' 314 in Round 1 put them in a battle for third place, but the men shot 323 and 322 in the final two rounds to end any chances of a high finish.
Freshman Chris Kovach's play was a bright spot for the Bulldogs. Kovach finished in third place overall, just one shot back from Washburn University's Ryan Deutsch and the University of Central Missouri's Justin Yoder. It was the highest finish for a Bulldog at any tournament this spring.
Kovach was named the men's golf MIAA Freshman of the Year.
"He played at a level he needed to play at," White said. "To finish one shot back of being in a playoff for the whole thing is amazing. What hurt him was not being in a position to help close the deal."
Kovach, who had three top-10 finishes in the five scoring events this season, was in the hunt for the individual title the entire tournament, but lightning caused a 45-minute delay just before he was set to tee off on hole 15 in the final round. Kovach was at one under for the round before the delay. He finished the final round with a two-over-par 73.
Be the first to comment on this story