Coon Rapids, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus men’s golf team got the start it was looking for on the opening day of the 2014 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships being held at Bunker Hills Golf Club over the weekend. The Gusties turned in a team score of 307 (+19) to finish day one in a tie for second place alongside Bethel University. The University of St. Thomas leads the way with a 304 (+16).
“It was great to see us put up a score like that today,” said Head Coach Scott Moe. “The conditions were tough, yet we battled through and made the shots we needed to. The scores were high, but that was dictated a lot by the conditions. It was nothing that we haven’t played in before, so you just have to take what the course gives you.”
Leading the field after the opening round is Gustavus rookie Chris Captain (Rochester, Minn.). Captain shot a two-under on the front nine and a one-over on the back nine to finish the day with a one-under 71. He recorded four birdies against three bogeys and was the only player to complete the opening round with a score under par.
“Chris was in the zone and ready to go from the start of the day,” said Moe about his frosh No. 4 player. “To see a freshman stay so focused and handle the opening day of this tournament with such maturity was fun to see. He is a very methodical golfer who is at his best when he’s thinking, processing, and challenged by the environment. Today he thrived and I’m excited to see what he can do tomorrow.”
Individuals looking to chase down Captain include Ryan Gallagher of Saint John’s and Alex Kapraun of St. Thomas who sit in a tie for second place with even-par 72s. St. Thomas’s Bennett Schroeder and Concordia’s Coy Papachek are tied for fourth with two-over 74s.
Matt Spier (Jr., Prior Lake, Minn.) finished next in line for Gustavus, shooting a five-over 77 to end up in a five-way tie for 11th. Spier shot two-over on the front and three-over on the back. Andrew Brandt (Jr., Medina, Minn.) also finished inside the top 20 in 16th after going three-over on the front and three-over on the back for a 78 (+6).
Rounding out the team was Matt Rastetter (Fr., Maple Grove, Minn.) in 28th and Andrew Krasaway (Jr., Hermantown, Minn.) in 41st. Rastetter shot an 81 (+9), while Krasaway turned in an 85 (+13).
“We were more focused than we have been in the past and I think the weather forced us to be so,” added Moe about Saturday’s round. “Tomorrow we’re going to take a similar approach; make pars and not try to force birdies. There aren’t a lot of birdie holes out there, so our ability to focus on every shot and play with confidence will be critical. The second day has determined our fate all season so it will be interesting to see how the guys respond.”
The 2014 MIAC Championships will continue tomorrow with the first men’s groups teeing off at 11:28 a.m. Gustavus will be on the tee at 12:48 p.m. with Krasaway leading the way. Rastetter, Brandt, Spier, and Captain will tee off in eight minute increments, respectively, following.
FROM THE MIAC
The tournament will conclude Monday with a final 18-hole round with tee times starting at 9 a.m. Sunday and Monday’s pairings will be determined by the tournament results. Spectators are welcome to attend and there is no admission fee, and spectators are encouraged to read and follow the tournament’s spectator rules.
There will be a short awards ceremony following Monday’s final round to honor the top teams and individuals. The championship team will receive the MIAC championship plaque, as well as the conference’s automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division III Golf Championships. The top 10 individual finishers will be named to the All-Championship team, and will be automatically eligible for All-Conference honors in the spring.
Fans who can’t make the trip to Coon Rapids can follow all the action on the MIAC Golf Championships web site, which will include unofficial hole-by-hole live scoring updates, results, pairings, tee times, recaps, photos and more. Fans can interact on social media throughout the tournament on the MIAC’s Facebook page, or on Twitter using the hashtag #MIACgolf. The MIAC’s YouTube channel also includes a promotional video for the event.