Wilkinson earns All-American; Bulldogs finish 12th
Mississippi Gulf Coast's story Friday was pretty much its story throughout this week's NJCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship in Plymouth, Ind.
"When we got here, we just didn't play well," Bulldogs coach Tommy Snell said. "We left a lot of shots out on the golf course and never got out of the gate."
The team dropped two spots in the standings on the final day, finishing 12th. Matt Wilkinson (Fr, Madison Central/Madison) earned NJCAA All-American Honorable Mention for finishing at 12-over, tied for 22nd.
Parkland won the national championship by two shots over South Mountain. The Cobras shot 16-over over 72 holes on the Black Course at Swan Lake Resort.
South Mountain's Cecil Belisle won medalist with a stellar total of 6-under.
Gulf Coast won its 12 region/district title in the last 13 years to qualify for the national championship. The Bulldogs finished second in the MACCC Tournament.
"It was a season when we weren't playing our best," Gulf Coast coach Tommy Snell said. "But when we knew we had to win or finish second in the district to go to nationals, when it came time to have to play, they stepped up. They won district by seven shots.
"It wasn't our best season, but when we really needed to play well, they really focused and played well."
Team scores |
|
| School | Score |
|---|---|
| 1. Parkland College | 293-283-298-294—1168 (+16) |
| 2. South Mountain | 287-286-302-295—1170 (+18) |
| 3. Glendale | 300-289-296-299—1184 (+32) |
| 4. Iowa Central | 288-295-301-309—1193 (+41) |
| 5. Kirkwood | 293-294-315-305—1207 (+55) |
| 6. Tyler | 302-300-311-302—1215 (+63) |
| 7. Des Moines Area | 304-310-300-303—1217 (+65) |
| 8. Meridian | 309-313-302-299—1223 (+71) |
| 9. Southeast | 297-309-313-308—1227 (+75) |
| 10. Walters State | 302-309-315-307—1233 (+81) |
| 11. Grand Rapids | 294-310-310-321—1235 (+83) |
| 12. Gulf Coast | 303-309-310-320—1242 (+90) |
| 13. Oakland | 320-313-309-308—1250 (+98) |
| 14. Illinois Valley | 319-308-317-309—1253 (+101) |
| 15. Rend Lake | 315-317-325-298—1255 (+103) |
| 16. Abraham Baldwin | 310-312-331-308—1261 (+109) |
| 17. Seminole State | 311-322-322-314—1269 (+117) |
| 18. Bryant and Stratton | 324-326-335-311—1296 (+144) |
| 19. Muskegon | 334-338-336-333—1341 (+189) |
MGCCC scores |
|
| Player | Score |
|---|---|
| T22. Matt Wilkinson | 73-72-74-81—300 (+12) |
| T33. Reeves Johnson | 72-76-75-81—304 (+16) |
| T53. Chase Wilkinson | 73-80-80-78—311 (+23) |
| T90. Hayden Green | 86-81-81-80—328 (+40) |
| Ethan Trouth | 85-xx-xx-82 (+23) |
| Cade Wilkinson | xx-89-81-xx (+26) |
For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
