Men Qualify for the National Championships
The Reiver men entered District Play with a tall task, to qualify for the National Championships. Because the district was so loaded this year only the top 5 finishes would move on to Nationals. The men were ranked 19th in the nation, well behind 6 other teams in the districts that Crestview Country Club in Wichita, KS hosted.
Day 1 the men opened with some good scoring and were in 3rd place entering round 2 of the same day. The team led with Freshman Cooper Hanson -2 score. Followed by fellow Freshman Ethan Smith (+1) and Max Nielsen (+3).
"Much like the women's team, the men's team we are also young," said Head Coach Matt Robinson. "I didn't really have any idea how they would react. We had an up and down Spring season. And I knew we had to get off well to build some confidence."
Round 2 brought a little tougher scoring conditions for the team. All 5 team members were right between +3 and +6. The highlight of the round was Freshman Henry Kosmicki, playing as an individual, he shot an impressive -2. After the round the team sat in 4th position with 1 round left to play.
Smith came out strong and fired a round of -1 to help secure the automatic bid for the National Championships. Smith finished the tournament tied for 4th place overall and Kosmicki finished in the top 15 tied for 14th.
The men will regroup and head to Sand Creek Station in Newton, KS to compete at the National Championships on May 16th thru 19th.