South Mountain claims national title
The South Mountain Cougars totaled 1183 over four rounds to claim the 2022 NJCAA DII Men's Golf Championship at the Twin Hills Country Club in Joplin, MO. South Mountain was the only team at the championship to shoot a sub-300 score in each round (297-294-299-293), en route to claiming the programs eighth national title.
South Mountain was a contender in the team standings early on as the Cougars only trailed Kirkwood by two strokes after the opening round. South Mountain shot 294 as a team to take the lead, holding the top spot for the remainder of the tournament. As heavy storms and lightning delays postponed the third round, South Mountain bounced back and fired a 293 to secure the championship trophy.
After a one-round playoff for second place between Mississippi Gulf Coast and Tyler, the Bulldogs claimed second at +50 (312-292-303-295) and the Apaches finished their final Division II tournament in third place at +50 (309-296-304-293). Tyler's men's golf program will move to Division I, starting next season.
The Cougars claim their latest national title under interim men's golf head coach Chelsea Carroll. Carroll is the first female coach to lead a men's program to an NJCAA national title.
Championship Results
After finishing in second place last year, South Mountain shot a 294 in the second round to take a two stroke lead over Kirkwood at the halfway point of the NJCAA DII Men’s Golf National Championship.
Superlatives
Best individual round: In the second round, both Geronimo Narizzano (Southeast) and Max Reynolds (Tyler) finished with a score of 66. Narizzano participated as an individual and finished in second while Reynolds finished third in the individual leaderboard.
Best team round: During Mississippi Gulf Coast's climb up the leaderboard, the Bulldogs shot a tournament low 292 as a team in the second round.
Most eagles:Max Reynolds (Tyler) and Riku Moriyama (Highland) each finished the four-day tournament with two recorded eagles.
Most birdies: Matthew Creighton (Glendale) recorded a one-under par score on 15 holes this week. Creighton tied for fourth overall individually with Heartland's Mason Minkel.
Belisle wins back-to-back individual titles
Cecil Belisle (South Mountain) recorded a four round mark of 71-71-72-74 to win his second NJCAA medalist honor. The sophomore's dominant performance marks the fourth-straight year a South Mountain golfer has claimed the individual title, and the sixth time in the last seven years.
Belisle lead the individual leaderboard after shooting even par after 36 holes. Belisle shot a 72-74 in the final two rounds, overcoming a two stroke deficit behind the leader.
Top Honors for the Top Finishers
While Belisle earned his individual medalist honor, nine other golfers earned First Team All-American status: Geronimo Narizzano, Southeast; Max Reynolds, Tyler; Mason Minkel, Heartland; Matthew Creighton, Glendale; Ethan Klose, South Mountain; Riku Moriyama, Highland; Dain Richie, Parkland; Tate Dickerson, Northeast Mississippi; and Liam Ross, Iowa Central
