WINONA STATE TOPS NSIC MEN'S GOLF PRESEASON POLL

BURNSVILLE, Minn. - The two-time reigning NSIC Champions of Winona State University were picked to win the league in the preseason men's golf coaches' poll. The Warriors received four first place votes (coaches cannot vote for their own team) and tallied 71 points to rank ahead of Bemidji State, which tallied 64 points and two first place votes. Minnesota State was third with 62 points and a first place vote, while Concordia-St. Paul was fourth with 60 points and a first place vote. Sioux Falls rounded out the top five as the Cougars had 48 points and the other first place vote. 

Winona State Matthew Chandler was voted by the league coaches as the NSIC Men's Golf Preseason Golfer of the Year. He earned first team All-NSIC honors last season along with All-Tournament laurels.  He led the Warriors with a 74.7 stroke average over 16 rounds last season, which ranked fifth best in the NSIC. 

The 2021-22 NSIC Men's Golf schedule will commence in mid-September.  The three-round NSIC Men’s Golf Championship will take place next spring on April 14-16 at Adams Pointe Golf Club in Blue Springs, Missouri.

• Named to All-NSIC First Team and NSIC All-Tournament Team in 2021
• Led the Warriors with a scoring average of 74.7 last season, fifth best in the NSIC
• Five top-ten finishes in 2021
• Fired a season-best 70 in the NSIC Tournament

Preseason Previews & Golfers to Watch

AUGUSTANA UNIVERSITY

The Augustana men’s golf team is looking to make a strong breakout in 2021-22. Coming off of a sixth place finish at the 2021 NSIC Men’s Golf Championship tournament, four seniors are returning to the roster with coach Danny Sinksen adding four new faces to the team. Jake Lee, Hunter Von Bergen and Sam Sutcliffe had impressive performances to lead the team this past season. Senior Jake Lee also earned Second Team NSIC All-Conference honors and NSIC All-Tournament honors.
Lee’s stroke average for the season was 76.13, leading the Vikings total average. His best performance came at the Winona State Invitational with 74.5 total strokes. Lee’s average  ranked 15th in the NSIC. Von Bergen followed closely with a 79.1 stroke average and ended the year with one top-10 finish. Sutcliffe’s stroke average for the season was 80.3. 
Danny Sinksen enters his seventh season as the Vikings’ head coach. Sinksen has led the Vikings to three top-10 finishes at the NSIC Championships in his coaching career. 
Augustana begins its season Sept. 13-14 at Bemidji States’ Bemidji Invite.

• Finished fourth at the NSIC Championships in 2021
• Earned All-Tournament honors at the NSIC Championships in 2021
• Had a pair of top-10 finishes and pair top-five finishes in 2021
• Earned Second Team NSIC All-Conference Honors
• Team leader in stroke average all three years of his career

BEMIDJI STATE UNIVERSITY

The Bemidji State University men’s golf team returns nine letter-winners while losing four from a 2020-21 squad that finished second at the NSIC Spring Championship. The Beavers return Brandon Nelson, Ben Corbid, Koby Kuenzel who each played in all 11 rounds of last season while also returning junior Seth Schricker and sophomore Jack Southard who played in eight and seven rounds.  The Beavers lose NSIC Spring Championship individual champion in Chris Swenson who paced the team in scoring average last season as well as Tanner Sperling who competed in all 11 events a year ago.  Nelson returns as the Beavers’ Preseason Golfer to Watch as the team’s top returner from last season and finished second on the team with a 74.4 scoring average which was fourth best in the NSIC. Senior Ben Corbid also looks to make an impact for the team after tying for sixth in the NSIC with a 74.8 scoring average last season. Head coach Ekren Miller has added four newcomers to the team for the upcoming season in freshmen Bailey Johnston, Gordon Skaar, Tate Usher and Tanner Wanous.

• Team’s top returner from last season
• Finished second on the team with a 74.4 scoring average which was fourth best in the NSIC
• All-NSIC First Team in 2020-21
• GCAA All-Academic Team
• NSIC Men's Golfer of the Week, April 14
• Shot a career-best three-round score of 213 (69-72-72/E) April 12-13 at the NSU Men's Golf Classic

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY, ST. PAUL

The Concordia-St. Paul men’s golf team will enter the 2021-22 season looking to rely on a solid core of returners to find success. The team will return 10 golfers from last season while adding in two new freshmen to the mix. With no fall competition for the team last year, the squad began their season at the Warrior Vegas Invite where they finished seventh of the 10 teams in attendance. The Bears had their best overall performance of the season at the Washburn Invitational, finishing in fifth place out of 16. At the NSIC Championships in April, the team finished in ninth place. This season, the golfer to watch for CSP is Thomas Huettl. As a junior, Huettl played 16 rounds for the Bears, averaging 76.94 strokes per round.  He played his best tournament of the season at the NSIC Preview, where he shot a 149 (+7) in 36 holes and finished in ninth place. Huettl also came within one spot of the top ten at the NSIC Championships as he finished tied for 11th with 224 strokes (+11). The Golden Bears will get their fall season rolling at the Bemidji State Invitational on September 13. 

• Played 16 rounds for the Bears, averaging 76.94 strokes per round
• Played his best tournament of the season at the NSIC Preview, shooting a 149 (+7) in 36 holes
• Finished 11th at the NSIC Championships with a score of 224 (+11)

UNIVERSITY OF MARY

The University of Mary men’s golf team looks to improve upon their debut campaign last year where the Marauders finished 9th at the 2021 Northern Sun championships. Head coach Michael Herzog brings in five new freshmen to bolster the UMary program.
Newcomer Gavin Argent is the Marauders 2021-22 Northern Sun Golfer to Watch. A freshman from Minot, ND, Argent is the 2021 North Dakota State Boys Class A Individual champion and led the Minot High School Magicians to fourth place at the Class A State Meet. He also won the 2021 WDA Boys Golf Tournament.  
Junior Cody Brunner returns to UMary after winning the first-ever UMary Triangular. He finished in a tie for 21st at the NSIC Championships. Joining Brunner in returning to the Marauders is sophomore Alex Wilson. Freshmen Gavin Argent, Logan Barrett, Isaac Flicker, Jackson Gilchrist and Benett Persoon will look to make an impact for UMary in their first season.
Another addition for the Marauders is Marion Hernandez, who joins UMary as an assistant coach. Hernandez competed for four years on the Minot State University men’s golf team from 2009 to 2013. He helped the Beavers capture Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) titles in 2010 and 2011, advancing to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) qualifying tournament both seasons. As Minot State transitioned into the NCAA, he competed two seasons in the NSIC (2011-13). During his collegiate career, Hernandez placed as high as second in three different tournaments, finishing one stroke off the lead all three times. 
The Marauders open the 2021-22 season at the Bemidji State Invitational on Sept. 13-14 before closing out the fall hosting the UMary Invitational on Sept. 26-27. 

• 2021 ND State Boys Class A Individual champion
• Helped lead the Minot Magicians golf team to fourth in the Class A State Meet
• Won the 2021 WDA Boys Golf Tournament

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CROOKSTON

The University of Minnesota Crookston men's golf team looks poised to move up in the NSIC standings during the 2021-22 season. The Golden Eagles are led by the play of Connor Humble (Rosemount, Minn.), who returns for a fifth season. Humble is a three-time Top 20 finisher at the NSIC Men's Golf Championship. UMN Crookston also returns experience with Ben Trostad (Sr., Crookston, Minn.), Cade Pederson (R-So., West Fargo, N.D.), Keegan Poppenberg (Jr., Esko, Minn.), Matt Moroz (Jr., Edmonton, Alberta), and Spencer Dahlquist (So., Maple Grove, Minn.). The Golden Eagles are also excited about a talented group of newcomers with the additions of Layton Bartley (Fr., Fargo, N.D.), Devin Kucy (Fr., Camrose, Alberta), and Rory Wutzke (Fr., Camrose, Alberta)

• A three-time NSIC Men's Golf Championship Top 20 finisher
• Had an average of 76.8 during the 2021 season
• Shot a low round of 73 during the 2021 slate
• Is back for a fifth year with the Golden Eagles

MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO

The Minnesota State men's golf team will look to improve in its fifth-place finish at last year's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament. Under the guidance of first-year head coach Alex Schmitz, the Mavericks expect to be led by junior Ben Laffen, a first team All-NSIC selection a year ago who led Minnesota State with a 74.1 average and placed tenth at the league championship.
Other key returnees for the Mavericks include Jack Klimek, Joe Bigger and Kaleb Johnson. Klimek averaged 78.5 in 11 rounds in his first year of college golf last year. Johnson played in 14 rounds and had a 79.6 average, while Bigger fashioned an 84.4 average in eight rounds.
Minnesota State, which has won eight NSIC men's golf titles since 2008-09, is scheduled to kick-off the 2021-22 season Sept. 13-14 at the Bemidji State Invitational.

• Named 2020-21 First Team All-NSIC
• Played 14 rounds for the Mavericks as a junior and averaged 74.1 for the year
• Shot a season-low 69 at The Mule
• Tied for 10th at the NSIC Men's Golf Championship (73-73-74=220)

MINOT STATE UNIVERSITY

The Men’s Golf Team at Minot State show great promise for this upcoming season.  Head Coach Brandon Polzin and Assistant Coach Eli Mihalick have a strong roster with a mix of returning players with great leadership and confident incoming freshman for this year.

• Tied for 28th at NSIC Championships in the spring with rounds of 80-74-78 for a 19-over 232
• Matched his collegiate low round of 74 at the NSIC Championships
• Averaged 78.4 strokes per round playing 12 rounds in 2020-21 season

UNIVERSITY OF SIOUX FALLS

The University of Sioux Falls Men’s Golf Program, which will be under direction of new head coach Wade Merry, will look to sustain momentum after the best season in school history. With the return of NSIC Newcomer of the Year Gavin Metz, who placed third at the NSIC Championships and was 29th at the NCAA DII regionals, the Cougars are positioned for another solid year. A year ago, USF was ranked as high as seventh in the region and made its program-first NCAA DII regional appearance. The Cougars, which ranked second in the NSIC in scoring average at 299.9, finished third at the NSIC Championships, which is the second best mark in second history. Metz (76.6 scoring avg.), who is USF Athlete to Watch, and Jack Evans (76.5 scoring avg.) return as does Jake Oetzmann (81.89), Bronson Vasa (82.33), Hank Eggebraaten (89.50), Nathan Woodall (91.5). USF did lose a talented group of seniors including Academic All-American JJ Cooney, a four-time all-NSIC performer, Jacob Zosel and All-NSIC performer Brenden Bassing as that group led USF in scoring average. It was a team that placed in the top-five six times while finishing 15th at regionals. Backing up the veteran group will be a talented corps of freshman including Austin Boomsma, Anthony Cylkowski, and Cole Harste. 

• Helped lead USF Men's Golf to the program's first-ever NCAA DII Regional Appearance and was USF's top finisher by carding 29th
• Finished third at the NSIC Men’s Golf Championships with a three-over par round of 216  (75-68-73) 
• Earned All-NSIC Tourney honors and was named the NSIC Newcomer of the Year 
• Helped lead the team to third at the NSIC Championships and to six top-five finishes including the Hillcat Classic title in March in Owasso, Okla.

UPPER IOWA UNIVERSITY

The Peacocks are looking forward to getting back on the green after a strong spring campaign. UIU played in 13 rounds over five events while recording three top-10 finishes, including an eighth-place finish in the Washburn Invitational, a first-place finish in the UIU Spring Invite, and a fourth-place finish in the 2021 NSIC Men's Golf Championships. The Peacocks will be without their top three spring scorers as NSIC Men's Golfer to Watch, Trent Shaw, and his 79.4 stroke average lead UIU veterans. The returning trio of Nolan Leaton, Jacob Mahloch, and Nathan Petrak each notched a top-10 finish in the spring, and UIU also welcomes back Nolan Ross to round out their group of returners. The Peacocks will look to mesh their returners with a handful of newcomers as the team competes in the fall.

• Averaged 79.4 strokes per 18 holes while playing all 13 rounds for UIU
• Tied for 14thin the 2021 NSIC Men's Golf Championships while tying for the fifth-most pars in the tournament (35)
• Carded a team second-best low round of 68in the third round of The Mule to help the Peacocks notch the NSIC's low round of the season (283)

WINONA STATE UNIVERSITY

Winona State University returns all nine golfers from last year’s NSIC Championship team. The Warriors strong core of veterans and promising newcomers lead to high hopes for the 2021-22 season, as they go for a three-peat in the NSIC Men’s Golf Championship. Reigning NSIC Coach of the Year, Jeff Straight, will look at senior Matthew Chandler to be the key leader for the Warriors. Chandler is coming off a team-best 74.7 scoring average from a season ago, where he had five top-10 finishes and earned NSIC First Team All-Conference honors. Winona State will also look towards the experienced golf from Abraham Elmore, Dylan Brown, and Matt Turner, all who were staples in the lineup last season. Leading a strong group of newcomers will be transfer-student, Gabe Goodman, who finished tied for third in the NCAA East Regional this past season. With a very promising roster, the Warriors have their eyes set on returning to the NCAA Regional Tournament for the third straight season.

• Named to All-NSIC First Team and NSIC All-Tournament Team in 2021
• Led the Warriors with a scoring average of 74.7 last season
• Five top-ten finishes in 2021
• Fired a season-best 70 in the NSIC Tournament