Spartan Men Capture Region XIII Title, Qualify for NJCAA Division III Championship
The Spartan Men’s golf team overcame a 10-shot day one deficit to win the Region XIII National Qualifier at The Quarry Golf Course at Giant’s Ridge near Biwabik, and advance to the NJCAA Division III National Championship next June. The Spartans shot 345 on day two, a 14-shot improvement from the first day, to come up with an 8-shot win. Their two-day total was 704 (359-345). Southwest Tech was runner-up with a 712 (349-363). Brandon Kreutz of Southwest Tech was the medalist with a two-day total of 172. Riley Stromlund led the Spartans with a 174 (88-86).
"We are very proud of how we bounced back on day two to get the job done. I am thrilled that this group will get the awesome experience of playing in the National Tournament next June,” said M State Head Coach Jason Retzlaff. “The Quarry is a beautiful course but is extremely difficult as it played long, and the wind blew hard with thick forest and hazards just outside each fairway. Day one was a nightmare start where we made a lot of mistakes and couldn't muster any momentum. On Tuesday, I was extremely proud of our resolve, competitive spirit, and commitment to a team goal. While there were moments of adversity, we made significantly fewer mistakes and were much stronger mentally. It was clear that all our players were playing for each other to reach a goal of playing in a national tournament. From a coaching perspective, it was very special to see a group care so much and be rewarded. It was a true team effort from all seven of our players."
Other M State individual results were as follows: Charlie Fuder 176 (92-84), Brock Thompson 177 (88-89), Adam Vatnsdal 178 (92-86) and Markus Nelson 184 (91-93).
Spartan Men's golf team at the Quarry. (Left to Right: Adam Vatnsdal, Markus Nelson, Erik Bjorndahl, Riley Stromlund, Brock Thompson, Charlie Fuder, Nathan Hillman) Photo taken by Jeff Haukos
“We feel that the best is yet to come for this team,” added Coach Retzlaff. “We had stretches of good golf, but didn’t quite have it all working at once during a given tournament. This team has the potential and depth to do very well next summer at the national tournament if we can take the next step forward. We are excited to have our shot at it in June.”
The Spartans have now qualified for every national tournament since their 2012 national championship season. It is the longest running streak in all of NJCAA Division III Golf. The Spartans have finished in the top five at the national tournament in 10 of the last 11 years. The 2024 NJCAA Division III National Championship will be held at Chautauqua Golf Course in Chautauqua, New York next June.
