get Sound men’s golf team exhibited a spirit of competitiveness and resilience throughout both days of St. Martin’s Invitational on Monday Sept. 26.
“The weather was pretty terrible and everyone worked pretty hard out there, but the real worry was just staying warm and dry,” senior Riley Conlin (Golden Valley, Minn.) said.
However, the Loggers were able to overcome the mental battle of competing against the rain and finished 13th in the second day of the two-round tournament.
At the close of day one, sophomore Matt Kitto (Lake Oswego, Ore.) led the Loggers with an 80 (+9) in 47th place. Senior Nick Kelley (Denver, Colo.) and freshman Adam Bean (Portland, Ore.) each shot an 81 (+10). Sophomore Conlin scored an 82 (+11) and Derek Wilson (Bellevue, Wash.) recorded a 90 (+19) for the first round.
The Loggers ended the first round at 324 (+40) which put them one position ahead of the only other NCAA Division III team at the tournament, Pacific Lutheran. However, the men turned their game around during the second round and improved their score by 16 strokes as a team. Kitto shot four-over with a 75 to finish tied for 45th with a two day total of 155 (+13). Bean turned in a team-best of 74 (+3) for a 155 (+13) tournament score. Kelley recorded a 159 (+17) in the 63rd. Conlin scored a 166 (+24) and rounded out the Loggers scoring for a team tournament score of 632.
Despite the horrible weather conditions and the 54-hole course instead of their familiar 36, the Loggers worked hard and played solidly against many NCAA Division I teams like University of Hawaii and California State University-Stanislaus.
“I think it was a good learning experience for the team, because we all got some tournament golf under our belts in a tournament that doesn’t mean anything towards our conference standing, which takes some pressure off,” Conlin said.
Conlin is already looking forward to the rest of the season.
“We have a really talented and deep roster that should be very competitive in the Conference,” he said.
The last two years they have finished second and third in the NWC, but the Loggers are looking to go farther this season. With a new coach this season, it has taken the Loggers a while to get adjusted to Head Coach Dave Fiorino’s routine and coaching style. However, Conlin is not worried.
“I think our new coach is doing a great job and we’re all still adjusting, but I think the team is coming together well,” he said.