No. 1 Bulldogs try to win 3rd straight at GlenLakes
PERKINSTON — No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast will be back at the site of the program's first team national championship this week when it plays in the GlenLakes Invitational in Foley, Ala.
The Bulldogs won the 2018 NJCAA championship at GlenLakes Golf Club. Brad Thornton, now the head coach, was an assistant, and Jackson Wedgeworth, now the assistant, finished tied for fourth as a competitor that year.
It's not a topic they shy away from talking about as a coaching staff.
"Having Jackson on staff helps with those conversations," Thornton said. "We've embraced those conversations. It's a place we have a lot of good memories at, and winning the past two years helps, too."
The Bulldogs won two years ago by seven shots and last year by 12. Stanley Campbell (So., London, England/Essex Golf College) tied for second last year, and John Mark Mills (So., Pontotoc/Mike Bender Golf Academy) tied for seventh.
Peyton Russell (So., Gautier/Gautier), Ludvig Behring (So., Sollentuna, Sweden/Osterakers Gymnasium) and Grayson Lockhart (Fr., Starkville/Oak Hill Academy) are the other three on the five-man team. Garner Seymour (So., Biloxi/Biloxi) is playing as an alternate in the two-day event.
Gulf Coast is one of three NJCAA Division II teams in the 16-team field. Central Alabama leads the Division I teams. The Trojans are fourth in the Clippd National Collegiate Golf Rankings, leading six in the NCGR top 20. CACC is fifth in the Bushnell Golfweek NJCAA Division I Coaches Poll, and Eastern Florida State is 10th.
"It's 54 holes, so we'll need to be patient, Thornton said. "Our (scoring) expectations will depend on the weather, too. We know the course pretty well as a staff, and a couple of our guys played it last year. I think we have a really good gameplan going into it."
For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
