- Sophomore Joe Dean of Cedar Falls leads Bears with 36-hole total of 153 and ties for 19th place
- Freshmen Logan Barnes of Altoona and Tyler Sansgaard of Nevada finish 22nd and 25th respectively
- Dean and Sansgaard each shoot two-over-par 74 on tournament's second day
The DMACC men's golf team opened the 2021 spring season in the CBC Mustang Invitational March 15 and 16 at Maumelle, Ark., and came away with an eighth-place finish.
Kansas Wesleyan University (KWU) took the team championship with a 36-hole score of 584 and DMACC was eighth with a two-day total of 626. The Bears posted a 323 on the opening day and shot 303 in the second round. KWU's Troy Watson captured medalist honors with a five-under-par 139 on rounds of 71 and 68 over the par 72 Country Club of Arkansas layout.
"We've been getting some work done during the winter on our simulator, but as with every winter coming outside, it's the little things like our chipping and pitching and putting that really suffer the most in the springtime," DMACC men's golf coach Chris Seaboch said. "We did struggle both days, especially the first day, but I did see a lot of great things the second day. I was really happy with the way we hit the ball for the most part."
The Bears were without sophomore Dylan Ellis of Aplington, a returning All-American.
"He led us in the fall and I expect him to lead us this year," Seaboch said. "If he competes well and someone else leads us, that's great too. We have two or three guys who were very consistent in the fall and played well (in the CBC Mustang Invitational) but I want the five guys who are going to work hard over the next five weeks. I want guys who are going to get it done in the classroom and who are putting the work in."
DMACC was led by sophomore Joe Dean of Cedar Falls. He posted scores of 78 and 74 for a 152 total, tying for 19th place. Freshman Logan Barnes of Altoona tied for 22nd with a two-round total of 153. He opened with a 77 and shot 76 on his second round.
Freshman Tyler Sansgaard of Nevada tied for 25th place with a 154 and sophomore Ryan Leath of Glenwood tied for 42nd with a two-day total of 161. Sansgaard shot rounds of 80 and 74 and Leath posted an 80 on the tournament's opening day and shot 81 on the second day.
Other DMACC results included a 168 by sophomore Trevor Heinen of Waterloo, a 173 by freshman Jack West of Winterset and a 188 by freshman Ryan Nichols of Ogden. Heinen posted rounds of 89 and 79 to tie for 59th place, West finished in 63rd place on rounds of 88 and 85 and Nichols placed 70th behind rounds of 100 and 88.
Seaboch said he thinks his team is on the right track in its quest to compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XI Tournament and qualify for the national championship.
"We are where we need to be and we've six days to play tournament golf before regionals so we've got plenty of time to get that rust off," Seaboch said. "All the other schools are in the same position as us, so it's who is going to use this time to the best of their abilities and prepare for the regionals and national tournament."
The DMACC men's golf team will host the DMACC Invitational April 5 at Otter Creek Golf Course in Ankeny.