Odessa, Texas -- The Indian Hills golf team validated their number-one national ranking by winning the NJCAA Division I National Championship Preview. The Warriors trailed Frank Phillips College by three shots after the opening round on Thursday, then posted the lowest scores over the next two rounds to win by four strokes over Odessa CC. The Warriors' total of 865 was only one shot over par for the 54-hole tourney.
The first two rounds were played on Thursday and the Warriors entered the second day of the event leading Odessa by a single stroke. And IHCC coach Mike Hagen admitted he was nervous going into Friday. "We had a long day in the heat on Thursday and there was the added pressure of being the leader, as well as taking on Odessa in their own back yard."
Hagen added, "But we went out (Friday) and played really solid. I proud of the way the guys played. We struggled a litte on the greens and, had we done better there, we would have run away with it."
Jon Paul Blampied led the charge for IHCC. The freshman was the first-round leader after opening with a five-under par 67. He was still tied for the lead after two rounds, shooting a two-under 70 in Thursday's second round. Blampied followed with a final-round 70, but was edged for the individual title by New Mexico JC's Jordan McColl, whose third-round 69 gave him a total of 206, one shot better than Blampied.
Another Indian Hills freshman, Steven Ihm, gave the Warriors two top-ten finishers. Ihm tied for 9th place with a 217 total after rounds of 74, 70 and 73, one-over par for the tourney.
Zach Steffen, playing as an individual, was next for Indian Hills with a 221 total, tied for 24th place. Steffen's best round was an even-par 72 on Friday.
Dan Dawson was 35th with a 223. Dawson followed up two rounds of 75 on Thursday with a final-round 73. Teammate Monty Lack was right behind Dawson with a 225 and Cameron Munro rounded out the IHCC results with a 228.
Lack recovered after shooting an 81 in the first round with a three-under par 69 in the second round. Munro fired a 72 in the middle round for his best 18-hole score.
Indian Hills is tied for No. 1 in the national poll with Meridian CC, which didn't take part in the tournament. New Mexico JC was third, four shots behind runner-up Odessa and eight back of the Warriors.
Thirteen schools participated in the Preview meet which Indian Hills won for the first time. The Warriors' final fall meet will be the Iowa/Kansas Clash in Kansas City Oct. 25-26.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Warriors No. 1 in Fall Poll
Ottumwa -- The Indian Hills Community College golf team is tied for first in the nation in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Fall Poll, released this week. The Warriors share the top spot in the rankings with Meridian CC from Mississippi.
“I’m very excited about being ranked No. 1 in the first poll,” said IHCC coach Mike Hagen. “The players have worked very hard this fall, but we still have a lot of golf in front of us. We played very well in our first two events, but I feel we slipped up a little last week.”
Indian Hills has won all three meets in which it’s competed this fall. The Warriors used a strong first day to win the Ryerson Fall Classic in Pella last week, finishing nine strokes ahead of Central College. Indian Hills had a team score of 296 to open the tourney and then maintained the nine-shot advantage on a blustery second day on Saturday.
Dan Dawson took medalist honors with rounds of 70 and 77. His 147 total was three shots better than the second-place score.
The Warriors opened the fall with wins in tournaments in Council Bluffs and Galena, Illinois. They have two more meets this month.
“It’s going to be very important to finish the fall with a strong finish at the NJCAA Division I National Preview and the Iowa-Kansas Clash,” Hagen said. “That would help us carry over some momentum into the spring.”
The national preview will be contested in Odessa, Texas Oct. 13-15. Indian Hills is coming off a third-place finish at last spring’s national tournament.
New Mexico Junior College is rated third in the fall golf poll. Wallace State-Hanceville and Midland College round out the top five.
“I’m very excited about being ranked No. 1 in the first poll,” said IHCC coach Mike Hagen. “The players have worked very hard this fall, but we still have a lot of golf in front of us. We played very well in our first two events, but I feel we slipped up a little last week.”
Indian Hills has won all three meets in which it’s competed this fall. The Warriors used a strong first day to win the Ryerson Fall Classic in Pella last week, finishing nine strokes ahead of Central College. Indian Hills had a team score of 296 to open the tourney and then maintained the nine-shot advantage on a blustery second day on Saturday.
Dan Dawson took medalist honors with rounds of 70 and 77. His 147 total was three shots better than the second-place score.
The Warriors opened the fall with wins in tournaments in Council Bluffs and Galena, Illinois. They have two more meets this month.
“It’s going to be very important to finish the fall with a strong finish at the NJCAA Division I National Preview and the Iowa-Kansas Clash,” Hagen said. “That would help us carry over some momentum into the spring.”
The national preview will be contested in Odessa, Texas Oct. 13-15. Indian Hills is coming off a third-place finish at last spring’s national tournament.
New Mexico Junior College is rated third in the fall golf poll. Wallace State-Hanceville and Midland College round out the top five.
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