Ashley Lage | Staff Writer
The Buena Vista University (BVU) men’s golf team traveled during two consecutive weekends in order to compete in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Championships. Freshman John Bral placed 15th individually, while the team finished 6th place overall.
The first weekend, April 26 and 27, the team traveled to Iowa City for the conference golf tournament. With weather conditions cooperating, six men took the course by storm. Competitors this weekend consisted of Bral, juniors Luke Anderson and Jaxson Armstrong, and seniors Andrew Zinn and Conor Dondale.
In Friday’s action, Zinn shot a team-best 84 to put the team in sixth place. Overall the team shot 343. Other scores were Bral-87, Dondale and Armstrong-86, and Anderson-94.
The second round proved to be better for the Beavers. They dropped nearly 30 strokes Saturday. Leader of the pack was Bral-75, who had an eagle on 18 to close out. Other team scores include Zinn-78, Armstrong and Dondale-81, and Anderson-85. The team as a whole still remained in sixth place after one weekend of competition.
“It was a challenging course. The first day, quick greens along with the breezy conditions made it tough to judge shots,” Anderson said.
The second weekend of competition, May 4 and 5, took place in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. The tournament was originally supposed to be played on Friday and Saturday, but due to the threat of inclement weather it was moved to Saturday and Sunday. Elmcrest Country Club in Cedar Rapids was the host site, and Sunday the final round took place in Iowa City at Finkbine Country Club.
Central finished out the tournament stealing the title spot. BVU kept the same golfers going into the final two rounds. As a team, they finished in 6th place shooting 319 on the final 18 holes. Bral finished 15th shooting a 317 overall. Second on the team was Armstrong, shooting a 324 for his four rounds. He finished tied for 20th in the field. Dondale and Zinn both finished out the tournament shooting 326 total. The final member, Anderson, finished up Sunday with his best round of the tournament with a 79 to shoot 338 overall.
Head Men’s Golf Coach Mitch Bruinck believes that the team improved a great deal over the season and cannot wait to build onto the team for next year.
“As a first year coach, I believe we made strides toward accomplishing many goals in the future. Although we did not finish in a higher position within the conference, I saw constant improvement from the guys throughout the season. I am definitely looking forward to next year to watch the returning players grow even more and to work with the incoming recruits to best prepare them for any tournament,” Brunick said.
The conference tournament wrapped up the season for the men’s golf team.
Graphic by Keyla Sosa
