Aggies excel at LSC Tourney, Women crowned Champs
DALLAS, Texas (April 17) – Cameron University’s drought of Lone Star Conference Championships finally ended today as the Aggie Women’s Golf team was crowned champions at the year-end tournament. The Aggies defeated a field of seven LSC squads to win their first conference title, winning by just one stroke. Cameron’s women’s golf program is in just its second year of existence.
CU was up by nine strokes after the first round but actually fell behind Central Oklahoma midway through the second. A strong finish gave the Aggie women the victory and an overall score of 642 (310-332). Each team’s overall score was much worse on the second day due to constant rain that continuously flooded the course.
“I’m just so proud of the girls,” Head Coach Rick Goodwin said. “They fought through the awful, rainy conditions and played well enough to win. For a second-year program to win the conference championship is unheard of. We’re all just ecstatic.”
Senior Janel Bailey had the strongest tournament for the Aggies, missing out on the individual championship by a mere stroke. She finished in 2nd place overall with a score of 152 (73-79), setting a new personal record with her first round score. UCO’s Mari Suursalu won the event with a total of 151 strokes (77-74).
Lawton native and Cameron sophomore Renee Breeze also had a fabulous tournament, turning in a total score of 154 (77-77). She finished just two strokes behind Suursalu for a 3rd place finish.
“You can’t say enough about how the girls played,” Coach Goodwin said. “They had huge targets on their back after the first round but they wouldn’t give up. They fought through it all to win it.”
The only other Aggie golfer to finish in the top ten overall was senior Krystle McCorgary. She shot a 168 (78-90) which was good enough to put her in a tie for 10th place.
Sophomore Lauren Gonzales and senior Lauren Madden also competed for the Aggies, coming in 15th and 26th place, respectively. Gonzales finished with a 170 (82-88) while Madden scored a 177 (89-88).
A total of thirty-four golfers competed in the women’s bracket.
The excitement for Cameron did not end with the conference title, as numerous Aggies won postseason accolades in the awards banquet on Sunday night. Coach Goodwin was awarded Coach of the Year honors, and Gonzales, Breeze, and McCorgary were named to the LSC All-Academic Team. Additionally, Bailey, Breeze and Madden were named to the All-Conference Second Team.
On the men’s side, the Aggies were not as fortunate. The Cameron men’s golf team finished in 6th place out of the ten teams in competition, after shooting a 903 (305-299-299) for their three-round total. It is the worst conference tournament finish for the team since 1989. The Aggies had finished in either first or second place each year up until 2006, when they finished in third place.
“I could tell early on that we weren’t in it,” Head Coach Jerry Hrnciar said. “There were tough playing conditions, but we still should have played well. We are better than this.”
Senior Matt Trammell had the best tournament for the Aggies, barely missing out on the individual championship. He finished in a tie for 2nd place after shooting a 212 (70-71-71), just one stroke behind Northeastern States Joby Dutcher.
“Matt (Trammell) played great, despite the weather,” Coach Hrnciar said. “He had some great shots and really helped bring us up to sixth (place).”
Cameron was in 8th place after the first day’s two rounds. A total of fifty golfers competed.
The other Aggie to finish in the top ten overall was freshman Michael Lee. He finished in a tie for 9th place after shooting a 223 (77-71-75).
Freshman Brett Leavell showed the greatest improvement from round to round, as he was able to erase eight strokes between his first and third rounds. Leavell finished in 47th place after scoring a 242 (83-84-75).
Sophomore Peter Svajlen and junior Cane Shumaker also turned in scorecards for the Aggies, coming in 23rd and 50th place, respectively. Svajlen shot a 229 (75-76-78) while Shumaker finished with a 245 (84-81-80).
The men’s golf team was also awarded postseason honors at Sunday night’s banquet, as Svajlen was named the LSC Academic Player of the Year and Trammell was placed on the All-Conference First Team. In addition, Shumaker was named to the All-Conference Honorable Mention Team.
With the Lone Star Conference Championship Tournament comes the end of the season for most teams, but nothing has been decided as of yet. Both Aggie teams must now wait until the next release of the regional rankings to see if they will be invited to the respective NCAA Division II Super Regional tournament.
Only the top six teams in the entire region advance to the Super Regional tournament.
