Newton, KS -- The Indian Hills Warriors left no doubt as to who was the best Division I golf team in the country in the 2012 National Championship this week. The Warriors took an eight-shot lead into the final round on Friday, doubled that advantage midway through the round, and wound up with a 13-shot margin for the school's second straight DI national title.
Western Texas started the final round in second place and never did push the Warriors, finishing well off the pace in the runnerup spot. Odessa College was another eight strokes behind in 3rd place, a whopping 21 shots in back of Indian Hills.
IHCC sophomore Jon Paul Blampied just missed a piece of the individual title as his final-round 71 left him one shot behind Meridian's Jake Stirling. Those two had the only under-par rounds of the day and Blampied was unable to make up the one-shot lead Stirling had going into the final 18 holes. Blampied, the only player back from last year's IHCC championship team, finished one stroke under par for the torney with a 287 total.
Indian Hills quickly put to rest any hopes their pursuers may have had that the lead the Warriors started the day with would vanish when they played the first six holes in four-over par. That allowed them to increase the lead they began the day with, and they continued to build on the lead by compiling a team score of five-over on the next six holes.
The conditions on Friday were the toughest they were during the four-day tourney with 45-mile-an-hour winds. But the Warriors were unfazed in notching the third national golf title in IHCC history, the last two Division I crowns.
After struggling through the first two rounds, IHCC soph Monty Lack came through over the second half of the tourney. He followed a second-round 82 with back-to-back 73s and wound up tied for 24th place.
Ben Ludlam, who started his week by accepting the Phil Mickelson Award given to the nation's best freshman junior college golfer, ended in a tie for 6th place with a 296 total.
Indian Hills was expected to be in the hunt for the national title when the week began, and coach Mike Hagen said his squad embraced the challenge. "Everyone expected us to be right in there going in," said Hagen. "About five or six teams had a shot to win it. The difference is we believed we could do it."
Indian Hills' triumph in the national tournament extended a tremendous stretch they put together in the spring season. The Warriors won their final five meets of the spring. They won seven invitationals in all, including the fall campaign, and were first or second in nine of the 12 meets in which they played in the two seasons.
NJCAA Division I National Championship
Team Scores (top ten)
1. Indian Hills 292-294-296-303=1185; 2. Western Texas CC 292-295-303-308=1198; 3. Odessa College 297-292-306-311=1206; 4. Meridian CC 299-296-297-318=1210; 5. Darton CC 300-295-304-314=1213; 6. Midland College 296-296-315-311=1214; 7. Dodge City CC 308-296-306-311=1221; 8. Brevard CC 302-298-310-313=1223; 9. Central Alabama CC 305-285-318-316=1224; 10. McLennan CC 299-292-312-325=1228
Indian Hills Scores:
2. Jon Paul Blampied 67-76-73-71=287; T6. Ben Ludlam 73-70-75-78=296; T24. Monty Lack 77-82-73-73=305; T30. Mitch Tucker 77-73-76-81=307; T37. William White 75-75-75-84=309
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Warriors Increase Lead With One Round Left in National Tourney
Newton, KS -- A solid third round has the Indian Hills golf team poised to repeat as NJCAA Division I national champions. The Warriors -- with a 882 total -- will take an eight-shot lead into Friday's final round after posting a 296 score Thursday.
Sophomores Jon Paul Blampied and Monty Lack led the way for IHCC with one-over par 73s. Blampied is at even-par for the tourney and is locked in a three-way tie for fourth place. Lack's round represented a nine-stroke improvement over his round the previous day.
Western Texas CC is in second place, eight shots behind Indian Hills and Meridian CC is two strokes behind the Texans. WTCC started the day just one shot off the lead and stayed in second place despite a round of 303.
"We're not going to worry about Western Texas," said IHCC coach Mike Hagen, "and we're not going to worry about Meridian. The only thing we're focused on is Indian Hills."
The team that really hurts its tital chances in the 3rd round was Midland (TX) College. They began the round just two shots in back of IHCC, but skied to a 315 total, putting them 21 strokes behind the Warriors.
Indian Hills freshman Ben Ludlam is looking for a good closing round to stay in the hunt for the individual medalist title. He fired a 75 in the 3rd round and is tied for 8th-place at 218. Teammate William White carded his third straight 75 and is tied for 24th.
The individual race is tight with the top 10 players all within five strokes of each other.
The Warriors will tee off at 12:45 Friday afternoon.
NJCAA Division I National Championship
Team Scores (top ten)
1. Indian Hills 292-294-296=882; 2. Western Texas CC 292-295-303=890; 3. Meridian CC 299-296-297=892; 4. Odessa College 297-292-306=895; 5. Darton CC 300-295-304=899; T. 6 McLennan CC 299-292-312=903; T.6 Midland College 292-296-315=903; 8. New Mexico JC 304-294-308=906; 9. Central Alabama CC 305-285-318=908; T10. Brevard CC 302-2998-310=910; T10. Dodge City CC 308-296-306=910
Indian Hills Scores
T4. Jon Paul Blampied 67-76-73=216; T8. Ben Ludlam 73-70-75=218; T24. William White 75-75-75=225; T27. Mitch Tucker 77-73-76=226; T58. Monty Lack 77-82-73=232
Sophomores Jon Paul Blampied and Monty Lack led the way for IHCC with one-over par 73s. Blampied is at even-par for the tourney and is locked in a three-way tie for fourth place. Lack's round represented a nine-stroke improvement over his round the previous day.
Western Texas CC is in second place, eight shots behind Indian Hills and Meridian CC is two strokes behind the Texans. WTCC started the day just one shot off the lead and stayed in second place despite a round of 303.
"We're not going to worry about Western Texas," said IHCC coach Mike Hagen, "and we're not going to worry about Meridian. The only thing we're focused on is Indian Hills."
The team that really hurts its tital chances in the 3rd round was Midland (TX) College. They began the round just two shots in back of IHCC, but skied to a 315 total, putting them 21 strokes behind the Warriors.
Indian Hills freshman Ben Ludlam is looking for a good closing round to stay in the hunt for the individual medalist title. He fired a 75 in the 3rd round and is tied for 8th-place at 218. Teammate William White carded his third straight 75 and is tied for 24th.
The individual race is tight with the top 10 players all within five strokes of each other.
The Warriors will tee off at 12:45 Friday afternoon.
NJCAA Division I National Championship
Team Scores (top ten)
1. Indian Hills 292-294-296=882; 2. Western Texas CC 292-295-303=890; 3. Meridian CC 299-296-297=892; 4. Odessa College 297-292-306=895; 5. Darton CC 300-295-304=899; T. 6 McLennan CC 299-292-312=903; T.6 Midland College 292-296-315=903; 8. New Mexico JC 304-294-308=906; 9. Central Alabama CC 305-285-318=908; T10. Brevard CC 302-2998-310=910; T10. Dodge City CC 308-296-306=910
Indian Hills Scores
T4. Jon Paul Blampied 67-76-73=216; T8. Ben Ludlam 73-70-75=218; T24. William White 75-75-75=225; T27. Mitch Tucker 77-73-76=226; T58. Monty Lack 77-82-73=232
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Warriors With a One-Stroke Lead Midway Through National Tourney
Newton, KS -- Indian Hills broke away from a three-way tie for first after the opening day of the NJCAA Division I National Golf Championship to take a one-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the tourney. The Warriors finished strong over the final few holes to grab the lead over Western Texas CC.
Indian Hills' second-round score of 294 was two shots higher than the day before.
The top six teams after two days are separated by just five strokes. The team that made the biggest move on Wednesday was Central Alabama, the team the Warriors defeated for the title last year. They cut 20 strokes off their first-round score and had the best round of the day with a 285 that pushed them into 5th place.
Midland is two shots back of IHCC in 3rd place, one shot ahead of Odessa and two better than Central Alabama.
Indian Hills has two golfers in contention for the individual title. Sophomore Jon Paul Blampied and freshman Ben Ludlam are in a six-way tie for 4th place with 143 totals.
Blampied led the field after the opening round with a 67, but struggled a little in the second round and ended it with a 76.
Ludlam followed his first-round 73 with a two-under par 70 to jump from a tie for 18th place into the logjam in 4th place.
Mitch Tucker aided the Warriors' cause with a one-over par 73, four shots better than his first round. And William White matched his score from Tuesday with another 75. Tucker and White are among six players at 150.
NJCAA Division I National Championship
Team Scores (top ten)
1. Indian Hills 292-294=586; 2. Western Texas CC 292-295=587; 3. Midland CC 292-296=588; 4. Odessa College 297-292=589; 5. Central Alabama CC 305-285=590; 6. McLennan CC 299-292=591; T7. Meridian CC 299-296=595; T7. Darton CC 300-295=595; 9. New Mexico JC 304-294=598; 10. Brevard CC 302-298=600
Indian Hills Scores
T4. Jon Paul Blampied 67-76=143; T4. Ben Ludlam 73-70=143; T34. Mitch Tucker 77-73=150; T34. William White 75-75=150; T92. Monty Lack 77-82=159
Indian Hills' second-round score of 294 was two shots higher than the day before.
The top six teams after two days are separated by just five strokes. The team that made the biggest move on Wednesday was Central Alabama, the team the Warriors defeated for the title last year. They cut 20 strokes off their first-round score and had the best round of the day with a 285 that pushed them into 5th place.
Midland is two shots back of IHCC in 3rd place, one shot ahead of Odessa and two better than Central Alabama.
Indian Hills has two golfers in contention for the individual title. Sophomore Jon Paul Blampied and freshman Ben Ludlam are in a six-way tie for 4th place with 143 totals.
Blampied led the field after the opening round with a 67, but struggled a little in the second round and ended it with a 76.
Ludlam followed his first-round 73 with a two-under par 70 to jump from a tie for 18th place into the logjam in 4th place.
Mitch Tucker aided the Warriors' cause with a one-over par 73, four shots better than his first round. And William White matched his score from Tuesday with another 75. Tucker and White are among six players at 150.
NJCAA Division I National Championship
Team Scores (top ten)
1. Indian Hills 292-294=586; 2. Western Texas CC 292-295=587; 3. Midland CC 292-296=588; 4. Odessa College 297-292=589; 5. Central Alabama CC 305-285=590; 6. McLennan CC 299-292=591; T7. Meridian CC 299-296=595; T7. Darton CC 300-295=595; 9. New Mexico JC 304-294=598; 10. Brevard CC 302-298=600
Indian Hills Scores
T4. Jon Paul Blampied 67-76=143; T4. Ben Ludlam 73-70=143; T34. Mitch Tucker 77-73=150; T34. William White 75-75=150; T92. Monty Lack 77-82=159
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Ludlam Wins Mickelson Award
Newton, KS -- Indian Hills freshman Ben Ludlam has been named the winner of the Phil Mickelson Award presented by the Phil and Amy Mickelson Foundation as the most outstanding freshman in NJCAA Division I men's golf.
Ludlam recently won the NJCAA Division I District III Championship with a four-under par 212. It was his fourth straight top-seven finish in the spring season.
Last fall, Ludlam won both the John A. Logan Invitational and Blue Devil Classic. For the fall and spring seasons combined he has had five top-five finishes and two other top-10s.
It's the second straight year that Indian Hills has had the Phil Mickelson Award winner. Steven Ihm won the honor last year. Ihm, now a sophomore playing at the University of Iowa, was recently named to the All-Big Ten second team.
Ludlam was also named to the five-player NJCAA Division I PING All-America first team. He is also one of four Indian Hills golfers on the PING All-District III team, joined on that squad by teammates Monty Lack, Mitch Tucker and William White.
Ludlam recently won the NJCAA Division I District III Championship with a four-under par 212. It was his fourth straight top-seven finish in the spring season.
Last fall, Ludlam won both the John A. Logan Invitational and Blue Devil Classic. For the fall and spring seasons combined he has had five top-five finishes and two other top-10s.
It's the second straight year that Indian Hills has had the Phil Mickelson Award winner. Steven Ihm won the honor last year. Ihm, now a sophomore playing at the University of Iowa, was recently named to the All-Big Ten second team.
Ludlam was also named to the five-player NJCAA Division I PING All-America first team. He is also one of four Indian Hills golfers on the PING All-District III team, joined on that squad by teammates Monty Lack, Mitch Tucker and William White.
Blampied and Warriors On Top After 1st Round
Newton, KS -- Sophomore Jon Paul Blampied's five-under par 67 helped Indian Hills to a three-way tie for first place after the opening round of the NJCAA Division I golf tournament on Tuesday. The Warriors' team score of 292 -- four over par -- tied Western Texas CC and Midland CC atop the leaderboard after 18 holes.
Blampied, who helped lead IHCC to the team title a year ago, has a two-shot lead over Landon Garrett of Tri-County CC in the battle for individual medalist.
Indian Hills' Ben Ludlam, who on Monday was named the winner of Phil Mickelson Award, was in a tie for 18th place with the next-best round for the Warriors -- a one-over par 73.
William White shot a 75 for IHCC and Monty Lack and Mitch Tucker are in a large group of players who shot 77s for the first round of the tourney.
Tri-County is 4th in the team standings, four shots behind the leaders, and Odessa is 5th.
Indian Hills won both the Iowa-Kansas Clash and NJCAA District tournament on the same Sand Creek Station course where this competition is being held in their final two tuneup meets before the national tourney.
NJCAA Division I National Championship
Team Standings (top 10)
Indian Hills 292; Western Texas CC 292, Midland CC 292; Tri-County CC 296; Odessa College 297; McLennan CC 299; Meridian CC 299; Darton CC 300; Pima CC 300; Brevard CC 302
Indian Hills Scores
1. Jon Paul Blampied 67; T18. Ben Ludlam 73; T34. William White 75; T55. Monty Lack 77; T55. Mitch Tucker 77
Blampied, who helped lead IHCC to the team title a year ago, has a two-shot lead over Landon Garrett of Tri-County CC in the battle for individual medalist.
Indian Hills' Ben Ludlam, who on Monday was named the winner of Phil Mickelson Award, was in a tie for 18th place with the next-best round for the Warriors -- a one-over par 73.
William White shot a 75 for IHCC and Monty Lack and Mitch Tucker are in a large group of players who shot 77s for the first round of the tourney.
Tri-County is 4th in the team standings, four shots behind the leaders, and Odessa is 5th.
Indian Hills won both the Iowa-Kansas Clash and NJCAA District tournament on the same Sand Creek Station course where this competition is being held in their final two tuneup meets before the national tourney.
NJCAA Division I National Championship
Team Standings (top 10)
Indian Hills 292; Western Texas CC 292, Midland CC 292; Tri-County CC 296; Odessa College 297; McLennan CC 299; Meridian CC 299; Darton CC 300; Pima CC 300; Brevard CC 302
Indian Hills Scores
1. Jon Paul Blampied 67; T18. Ben Ludlam 73; T34. William White 75; T55. Monty Lack 77; T55. Mitch Tucker 77
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Former Warrior Ihm is All Big-Ten
Ottumwa -- Steven Ihm, who as a freshman helped lead Indian Hills to the 2011 NJCAA Division I national title, has enjoyed a successful first season at the University of Iowa.
Ihm was named a second-team All-Big Ten golfer and is one of the leaders on a Hawkeye team that was selected this week to compete in the NCAA Regional competition May 17-19 in Athens, Ga.
Ihm was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week after his second-place finish at the Rod Myers Invitational in the fall season and finished in the top 20 in all three stroke-play events this spring.
Ihm was named a second-team All-Big Ten golfer and is one of the leaders on a Hawkeye team that was selected this week to compete in the NCAA Regional competition May 17-19 in Athens, Ga.
Ihm was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week after his second-place finish at the Rod Myers Invitational in the fall season and finished in the top 20 in all three stroke-play events this spring.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Ludlam is Medalist as Warriors Roll to Another Win
Newton, KS -- The Indian Hills golf team apparently feels very comfortable at the Sand Creek Station Course and that could bode well for the Warriors' chances of defending their Division I national championship.
Less than a week after Indian Hills won the Iowa-Kansas Clash at Sand Creek, the Warriors dominated the field in romping to an easy win in the NJCAA District III Championship at the course. And since the National Tournament will be played there as well, the Warriors should have no shortage of confidence when the national tourney commences on May 15.
Indian Hills had posted a 10-stroke victory over Dodge City CC in the Iowa-Kansas Clash. They more than quadrupled that margin in the district meet, beating Dodge City by 41 shots.
A superb opening 18 holes got the Warriors off to a fast start when they shot a 279, 15 shots better than the rest of the field. IHCC followed that up with rounds of 286 and 298 as they continued to pull away for their fourth straight team title of the spring.
Ben Ludlam led a trio of Indian Hills golfers at the top of the leaderboard, winning medalist honors with a 212. Ludlam had three consecutive sup-par rounds, shooting an opening-round 70 and following it up with back-to-back 71s.
IHCC's William White and Monty Lack followed Ludlam and both sizzled over the first 18 holes -- White firing a 68 and Lack a 69.
Mitch Tucker joined his teammates in the top six with a 6th place finish. Kevin Workman, playing as an individual, actually had the fourth-best Indian Hills score, a 222 good for 4th place.
Indian Hills will take the next two weeks to prepare for its shot at winning a second straight national title.
Coach Mike Hagen said after the District tourney win, "We're going to enjoy this for now. It'll probably really hit us more next week when we get back into our regular routine to prepare for defending our national championship. I was really excited to see us perform like this in the postseason."
NJCAA District III Championships
Team Scores (top 6): Indian Hills 279-286-298=863; Dodge City CC 294-298-312=904; Hutchinson CC 299-299-308=906; Iowa Western CC 294-309-316=919; Johnson County CC 313-309-318=940; Garden City CC 313-316-325=954
Indian Hills Scores: 1. Ben Ludlam 70-71-71=212; 2. William White 68-74-72; 3. Monty Lack 69-69-77=215; 4. Kevin Workman 72-75-75=222; 6. Mitch Tucker 73-72-78=223; 12. Jon Paul Blampied 72-74-81=227; 15. Kieran Goodall 71-80-78=229
Less than a week after Indian Hills won the Iowa-Kansas Clash at Sand Creek, the Warriors dominated the field in romping to an easy win in the NJCAA District III Championship at the course. And since the National Tournament will be played there as well, the Warriors should have no shortage of confidence when the national tourney commences on May 15.
Indian Hills had posted a 10-stroke victory over Dodge City CC in the Iowa-Kansas Clash. They more than quadrupled that margin in the district meet, beating Dodge City by 41 shots.
A superb opening 18 holes got the Warriors off to a fast start when they shot a 279, 15 shots better than the rest of the field. IHCC followed that up with rounds of 286 and 298 as they continued to pull away for their fourth straight team title of the spring.
Ben Ludlam led a trio of Indian Hills golfers at the top of the leaderboard, winning medalist honors with a 212. Ludlam had three consecutive sup-par rounds, shooting an opening-round 70 and following it up with back-to-back 71s.
IHCC's William White and Monty Lack followed Ludlam and both sizzled over the first 18 holes -- White firing a 68 and Lack a 69.
Mitch Tucker joined his teammates in the top six with a 6th place finish. Kevin Workman, playing as an individual, actually had the fourth-best Indian Hills score, a 222 good for 4th place.
Indian Hills will take the next two weeks to prepare for its shot at winning a second straight national title.
Coach Mike Hagen said after the District tourney win, "We're going to enjoy this for now. It'll probably really hit us more next week when we get back into our regular routine to prepare for defending our national championship. I was really excited to see us perform like this in the postseason."
NJCAA District III Championships
Team Scores (top 6): Indian Hills 279-286-298=863; Dodge City CC 294-298-312=904; Hutchinson CC 299-299-308=906; Iowa Western CC 294-309-316=919; Johnson County CC 313-309-318=940; Garden City CC 313-316-325=954
Indian Hills Scores: 1. Ben Ludlam 70-71-71=212; 2. William White 68-74-72; 3. Monty Lack 69-69-77=215; 4. Kevin Workman 72-75-75=222; 6. Mitch Tucker 73-72-78=223; 12. Jon Paul Blampied 72-74-81=227; 15. Kieran Goodall 71-80-78=229
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