COON RAPIDS, Minn. -- Three days of extremely close competition came to a close Monday at the 2011 MIAC Men's Golf Championships at Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids, Minn. When the dust - or the divots - settled, the St. Thomas men had won their first team conference title since 1980, and the Tommies' Alex Kapraun and St. Olaf's Justin Volling shared individual medalist honors by shooting just 5-over-par over the course of the 54-hole tournament.
The Tommies outlasted both Gustavus and three-time defending champion Saint John's to claim its ninth MIAC men's golf title, as the three teams seemingly traded one-shot leads back and forth throughout Monday's final round. However, the Tommies' team score of 302 Monday was plenty good enough to make their lead stand up as they hung on for a four-shot win. UST had a 54-hole total of 897 (302-293-302), and placed three golfers in the individual Top 10.
Co-Medalist, UST's Alex Kapraun
The Gusties charged back into contention with the best 18-hole score of the weekend. Gustavus used it's 290 on Monday to edge Saint John's by a single shot for second place with a 54-hole total of 901 (308-303-290). The Johnnies, ranked No. 2 in Division III, settled for third with a total of 902 (308-295-299). St. Olaf (301-300-307=908) finished fourth as a team, while Bethel (304-305-301=910) rounded out the top five.
Concordia shot a 308 Monday to finish in sixth place (308-312-308=928). Augsburg used its strong second round to come in seventh (324-306-322=952). Carleton showed consistency in its eighth-place finish (325-326-324=975), Macalester came in ninth (341-319-320=980) and Saint Mary's rounded out the men's field, but showed improvement each day (338-337-327=1,002).
Kapraun shot his second-straight 73 to move into first place and share medalist honors with a 54-hole total of 221 (75-73-73) while leading UST to the team title. Volling also earned a share of first-place with consistently great play of his own over the three days, finishing with a 2-over-par 74 Monday after rounds of 75 and 72 the first two days.
Co-Medalist, St. Olaf's Justin Volling
Gustavus' Andrew Oakes and Saint John's Casey Vangness tied for third, two shots back, with identical totals of 223. Oakes shot even par the final day and finished with rounds of 77-74-72, and Vangsness used rounds of 76-73-74 to earn his spot in the top three. There was also a tie for fifth one more shot back, as Gustavus' Alex Kolquist turned in Monday's best round of 70 to finish at 224 (76-78-70) along with Bethel's Toby Robinson, who bookended 73s around a second-round 78.
Things were extremely close throughout the Top 10, as Saint John's Dennis Granath and St. Thomas' John Young tied for seventh just one more shot back at 225. Granath improved by a shot each day with scores of 76-75-74, and Young was as consistent as they come, firing a 75 in each round. The Tommies' Bennett Schroeder was another shot back at 226 with a first-round 76 and rounds of 75 over the final two days, and Concordia's Pat Dietz (78-74-76) and Gustavus' Coby Rowley (77-73-78) each shot a 228 to tie for 10th place. The Top 10 individual finishers - including ties - earned MIAC Men's Golf All-Conference honors.
By winning the MIAC Championship, St. Thomas claimed the conference's automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships, which will be held in May. Visit the 2011 MIAC Golf Championships Home Page or use the links below for complete details from an outstanding weekend of golf, including results, recaps, photos, videos and more.
2011 MIAC Golf Championships Home Page
Day One: Men's Results - Women's Results - Photos (For sale)
Day Two: Men's Results - Women's Results - Photos (For sale) - Video
Day Three: Men's Results - Women's Results - Photos (For sale): Action - Awards - Video: Highlights - Awards
Video Highlights from Webcast America (DVDs Available for purchase)
2011 All-MIAC Men's Golf Team
| Name |
School |
Score |
| Alex Kapraun* |
St. Thomas |
221 (+5) |
| Justin Volling* |
St. Olaf |
221 (+5) |
| Andrew Oakes |
Gustavus |
223 (+7) |
| Casey Vangsness |
Saint John's |
223 (+7) |
| Alex Kolquist |
Gustavus |
224 (+8) |
| Toby Robinson |
Bethel |
224 (+8) |
| Dennis Granath |
Saint John's |
225 (+9) |
| John Young |
St. Thomas |
225 (+9) |
| Bennett Schroeder |
St. Thomas |
226 (+10) |
| Pat Deitz |
Concordia |
228 (+12) |
| Coby Rowley |
Gustavus |
228 (+12) |
*Individual Co-Medalists