The NIC men’s golf team tied with Lewis-Clark State College for second place when it hosted the NIC Invitational at Avondale Golf Course in Hayden Lake Sept. 23 and 24. The men’s “B” team placed eighth out of the nine schools that competed, and the women’s team finished last, which was sixth place.
Sophomore Austin Westphal of NIC finished third individually shooting a 219, one stroke off second place finisher Jason Molner of Lewis-Clark State College, and eight strokes off of Cole Lorenzo who shot a 211.
Westphal shot a 69 in the second round to conclude the first day in which he said everything was working for him.
“It’s easier playing one round and then coming out and playing it again,” Westphal said.
Since NIC usually practices at Avondale, Westphal said that that home course advantage helped, especially with putting.
NIC sophomore Brennan Stillinger finished tied for sixth individually with a score of 222, Dylan Morrison (230), Taylor Reed (234) and Spencer Skipper (242).
The Cardinals’ “A” team shot an 899 behind the winner Spokane Community College which shot an 883.
The Cardinals’ “B” team shot a 940.
Calvin Baty of NIC stood in second place behind eventual winner Lorenzo after the first round of play shooting a 71 and finished tied for 12th place overall with a total score of 225.
“I hit a lot of greens,” Baty said. “My putter was rolling pretty good. Overall, I really didn’t have any mistakes in my first 18.”
Chris Cremer and Luke Kilcup each shot 237s, Dain Harden (241) and Bryce Hughes (265).
On the women’s side, sophomore Arlee Coleman tied for 15th with a 263 with her best score, an 83, coming in the first round.
“I normally don’t hit greens in regulation and today I hit a lot of them,” Coleman said. “I had three or four birdies today which helped out. I only had a couple bad holes so it just kind of came together pretty well.”
Chelsea Porter shot a 274, Jennie Williams (281), Madi Hauck (295) and Hannah Keough (334) for NIC.
The Lady Cardinals shot an 1113 as a team for the invitational.
Head coach Derrick Thompson said he does not know what to expect this early in the season from both the men and women’s teams.
“We don’t want to be playing our best golf right now,” Thompson said.
Lewis-Clark State College won the invitational shooting a 950. Four of its five golfers finished in the top six positions individually, but Trish Gibbens of the College of Idaho took the top spot shooting a 229.
The following weekend the NIC women finished tied for fifth out of the nine teams that competed in the Whitworth Invitational at the Spokane Country Club Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 according to The CDA Press. NIC shot a 723 for the two-day event.
Porter shot a 172 to finish tied for 15th.
Thompson said that he believes that Porter’s 172 is the best 36-hole score that she has shot in her career.
The NIC men’s and women’s teams competed in the Columbia Basin College Invitational in Tri-Cities, Wash., Saturday and Sunday and conclude action today.
The men and women’s teams will compete in the Warner Pacific Invitational at Club Green Meadows in Vancouver, Wash., Oct. 15 and 16.
The Warner Pacific Invitational is the last tournament for the NIC women this fall before they head into the offseason and practice for the upcoming spring season.
The men’s team will compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I National Preview at The Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas, Oct. 22 and 23 to wrap up its fall season.
