Silver finishes cap season before snowfall
The NIC men’s and women’s golf teams concluded fall action with second place finishes in Richland, Wash., at the Columbia Basin College Invitational held at Horn Rapids Golf Course on Oct. 23 and 24.
Dylan Morrison led his squad with the best score in the tournament, shooting a 146.
“He shot a 76 on the first day, and I could tell he was disappointed,” said coach Derrick Thompson. “He came from six shots back and won.”
Austin Westphal finished right behind his teammate with a 148 on the score card.
The NIC men shot a 599 for the invitational, five strokes behind the winning Community Colleges of Spokane team.
“On the men’s side, we’re a really deep team,” Thompson said. “Eight or nine guys at any one time can be the number one player.”
Makena Schevenius finished third in the women’s competition shooting a personal best 79 on the first day and finishing with a 165 to lead the Lady Cardinals.
“We definitely wouldn’t have gotten out to the start that we did without her,” Thompson said. “She stepped up when we needed her.”
Rachel Westby also contributed posting a 172.
The NIC women held a 16-shot advantage at the end of the first day, but Bellevue Community College cut into the deficit and ended up winning the invitational by one stroke.
“I don’t think we played our best golf in the fall, which is more than OK,” Thompson said. “We need to work on our short game and putting. If we improve in that area, we can be a really good team.”
The teams will practice a couple of days a week at an indoor golf practice facility in the off-season. When spring competition nears, the golfers will practice on outdoor courses in the Tri-Cities and other warmer areas.
