Kris Schmelzer
Rarely does a team that plays the majority of its annual
schedule in the spring make big news during the fall
"non-traditional" season, but the Wittenberg men's golf team did
just that recently. The Tigers took advantage of home course
advantage in the Wittenberg Invitational to capture first
place.
While claiming the top spot in a strong 11-team field is always
noteworthy, it was more so in this case because it was the first
tournament win for the Wittenberg men's golf program since 1997,
when the Tigers took team medalist honors at Hanover. A week after
turning in a solid seventh-place finish at the Ohio Valley College
Invitational on Sept. 12, Wittenberg claimed first place by one
stroke over North Coast Athletic Conference rival Wooster. Unlike
the previous week, when the 15-team field was exclusively NCAA
Division II and NAIA scholarship programs, Wittenberg took first
place at its own invitational while facing many of the same teams
vying for national qualification consideration out of the always
competitive Great Lakes Region.
Junior Kris Schmelzer (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster)
had his best finish as a collegian in the event, which was played
at Windy Knoll Golf Club on Saturday and Reid Memorial Golf Course
on Sunday, as he finished second with a 153. Also making the top 20
were senior Andy Bonar (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster)
with a 155, good for fourth place, and sophomore Scott Aker
(Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) with a 157, good for 10th
place. All five Tiger golfers placed in the top 27 on the
weekend.
The Tigers are back in action Saturday and Sunday at the Denison
Fall Invitational at Granville Golf Club. Several of the top teams
in the NCAC are entered in the competition, making it a key early
season event.