10/5-6/01 -- 2001 MIAC Men's Golf Championships

St. John's rallies to win third straight MIAC title; UST's Wroblewski wins individual league championship

COMPLETE FINAL RESULTS -- CLICK HERE

COON RAPIDS, Minn. (10/6/01) -- St. John's University rallied with a second-day 299 to claim its third straight Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's golf championship, bettering the first-round leader, Gustavus Adolphus College, by five strokes in the final round of the conference meet Saturday at the Bunker Hills Golf Course.

Tom Wroblewski (Sr., Neenah, Wis.) of the University of St. Thomas followed up his opening-round 3-under-par 69 with a 1-under-par 71 to finish with a two-day, 36-hole total of 4-under-par 140 to win the MIAC's individual championship.

Trailing by three strokes after the first round, St. John's used an eight-stroke rally to claim the conference title for the third year in a row, denying Gustavus the championship. All five Johnnie golfers either equaled or improved upon their first-round scores in the second round, with four earning All-MIAC honors. Meanwhile, two Gustie golfers saw their scores fall from the first to second day, though four Gusties earned All-MIAC honors as well.

St. John's finished with a two-day 36-hole team total of 304-299--603 to win its fourth men's golf conference championship in school history, followed by Gustavus' 301-307--608. Concordia-Moorhead was third with a 311-304--615 total, followed by fourth-place Augsburg with 314-315--629 and fifth-place St. Thomas with 317-615--632.

Wroblewski's 4-under-par total of 69-71--140 was the lone under-par total of the event, as golfers had to handle tough weather conditions all weekend on the 6,901-yard Bunker Hills course. The final round was delayed for an hour due to frost on the golf course on Saturday morning, with temperatures in the low 30s as the round began. It eventually warmed up into the mid-40s.

Sammy Schmitz (Jr., Farmington, Minn.) of St. John's finished in second place with an even-par 72-72--144. Neil Johnson (So., River Falls, Wis.) of Gustavus was third with 4-over-par 71-77--148 and Adam Hanson (Jr., Barrett, Minn./West Central Area HS) of Concordia-Moorhead was fourth with a 5-over-par 73-76--149.

Others earning All-MIAC status were: Ted Vickerman (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) of Augsburg and Josh Sherlin (Fr., Minnewaska, Minn.) of St. John's, tied for fifth at 7-over-par 151; Dan Suedbeck (Jr., Redwood Falls, Minn./Redwood Valley HS) of Gustavus, seventh at 8-over-par 152; Mike Hagen (Sr., Moorhead, Minn.) of Concordia-Moorhead, eighth at 9-over-par 153; and Gustavus golfers Luke Benoit (So., Faribault, Minn.) and Brooks Anderson (Sr., Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes HS) and St. John's golfers Nathan Proshek (So., New Prague, Minn.) and Paul Ponath (Jr., St. Cloud, Minn.), all tied for ninth at 10-over-par 154.

COMPLETE FIRST-DAY RESULTS -- CLICK HERE

COON RAPIDS, Minn. (10/5/01) -- Tom Wroblewski (Sr., Neenah, Wis.) of the University of St. Thomas shot an opening-round 3-under-par 69 to lead the pack after the first round of the 2001 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Golf Championships at the Bunker Hills Golf Course.

Stroking a 4-under-par on the front nine, Wroblewski claimed a two-shot lead over Gustavus Adolphus golfer Neil Johnson (So., River Falls, Wis.), who shot a 1-under-par 71, and a three-shot advantage on St. John's junior Sammy Schmitz (Jr., Farmington, Minn.), who shot an even-par 72.

With all five of its golfers carding scores in the top 20 -- and all with scores of 80 and under -- Gustavus Adolphus led the pack in the team race after the first day of competition, with an 18-hole total of 301 strokes. The Gusties, who had won 20 conference titles in the last 28 years, are aiming to return to the top spot in the league for the first time since 1998. Two-time defending league champion St. John's stands second with a 304 total, three strokes behind the Gusties.

Gustavus, which finished fifth in last season's NCAA Division III national championships, are currently ranked fifth in the first Division III national poll of the year, while St. John's, which finished seventh in the country last season, is currently ranked eighth nationally.

Concordia-Moorhead, behind a solid 73 round from is in third place in the team competition with a 311 total. Augsburg, with four players in the top 20, is fourth with a 314 total; and St. Thomas, with Wroblewski setting the pace, is in fifth with a 317 total.

The 50 golfers in the MIAC championship field faced fierce conditions on the 6,901-yard Bunker Hills course on Friday, with gusty winds and temperatures in the 40s.

The championships conclude with an 18-hole final round on Saturday (10/6), with tee times starting at 8:20 a.m.

MINNEAPOLIS (10/3/01) -- If recent results are any indication of the depth of talent in men's golf in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, then this weekend's MIAC championship meet could be one of the most competitive in conference history.

The MIAC Men's Golf Championship will be held Friday and Saturday (10/5-6) at the Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids, Minn. Rounds begin at 11:15 a.m. on Friday and at 8:20 a.m. on Saturday for the 10 MIAC men's golf schools. Admission is free.

This year's field is as deep as any in recent years, with two teams returning several veterans from top-seven finishes in last spring's NCAA Division III national championships -- two-time defending MIAC champ St. John's placed seventh, while perennial powerhouse Gustavus Adolphus finished fifth. Host Augsburg, the only team (1995) other than Gustavus or St. John's to win a conference championship since 1983, could also be in contention for the conference crown, along with St. Thomas and Concordia-Moorhead.

Last weekend's play at the Gustavus Twin Cities Classic may be an indicator of where the league's teams stand entering the conference meet. Five MIAC teams finished ahead of defending national champion Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the meet, considered the top small-college men's golf tournament in the Upper Midwest. St. John's won the meet with a 904 total over 54 holes, four strokes ahead of Gustavus' 908. Concordia-Moorhead was a surprising fifth with a 916 total, while St. Thomas was sixth with 917 and Augsburg was seventh at 918. St. Mary's finished 18th with a 959 total, while Carleton was 19th (966) and St. Olaf was 21st (985). Among MIAC teams, just Bethel and Macalester did not compete in the Twin Cities meet.

In the first Division III national poll of the season, conducted by the Golf Coaches Association of America on Sept. 26, Gustavus was ranked fifth, while St. John's was ranked eighth. Augsburg and St. Thomas received votes, but were not ranked among the top 25.

Here is a team-by-team preview of this weekend's meet. Teams are listed in the order of finish in last season's MIAC meet.

Saint John's enters this weekend's MIAC championship meet as the two-time defending champions. The Johnnies are coming off of their most impressive showing of the fall, winning the Twin Cities Classic last weekend. In all, SJU has two first places, one second-place and a third-place finish this fall.

Leading the way individually for SJU is junior Sammy Schmitz (Farmington, Minn.) and sophomore Nathan Proshek (New Prague, Minn.). Schmitz, a two-time All-American and All-MIAC selection, tied for sixth at the 2000 MIAC meet. Schmitz took medalist honors at last week's Twin Cities Classic and has finished in the top two in his last three meets. Proshek was named the MIAC's Freshman of the Year and an All-District V selection in 2001. Proshek won medalist honors at the Bemidji State Invitational meet on Sept. 9-10. The Johnnies also have in their line-up junior All-MIAC player Paul Ponath (St. Cloud, Minn.). Ponath finished third at last season's MIAC meet.

Senior Andre Belland (White Bear Lake, Minn.); freshman Eric Bjerke (Eagan, Minn.) and freshman Josh Sherlin (Glenwood, Minn.) have filled out the final two spots for SJU throughout the fall at tournaments.

Gustavus Adolphus coach Scott Moe has had to be patient early this fall, as he is working with a very young squad. The nucleus of Moe's squad is junior Dan Suedbeck (Redwood Falls, Minn./Redwood Valley HS) and sophomores Neil Johnson (River Falls, Wis.) and Luke Benoit (Faribault, Minn.). Johnson has easily been the Gusties best player, and is a legitimate contender for medalist honors this weekend. He has already claimed medalist honors at the St. John's Invitational and the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Invitational and his stroke average through 126 holes is 72.14. Benoit, the Gusties No. 2 golfer, has compiled a stroke average of 75.8, while the No. 3 player, Suedbeck, has struggled at times in posting an average of 77.7.

While the top three players have been quite solid, the Nos. 4 and 5 players have been very inconsistent. Senior Brooks Anderson (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes HS) played well in last weekend's Twin Cities Classic, with a 54-hole total of 76-77-76--229, and he will need to step up this weekend if the Gusties are to contend for the title. Coach Moe will decide on who will fill the fifth position after qualifying early this week and if the Gusties can put two solid rounds together this Friday and Saturday they will be a serious threat to claim the 2001 MIAC title.

Gustavus has been the lynchpin of MIAC men's golf over the past two decades. The Gusties have won 22 conference titles, including 20 over the last 28 years and every crown but one from 1982 to 1998.

Augsburg is still shooting for consistency in its varsity lineup, as coach Brian Ammann has used four different top-five lineups in the four varsity meets the Auggies have competed in this fall. Just three Auggies have been in the top five in each of the four meets -- Nate Kruger (Sr., Litchfield, Minn.) who finished third in last season's conference meet; Thad Bloberger (Sr., St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS) and Travis Kalis (So., Elysian, Minn./Waterville-Elysian-Morristown HS). Kruger has a 78.11 stroke average this fall, while Bloberger averages 78.00 and Kalis averages 78.44.

One of the big surprises of the fall season for the Auggies has been T.J. Sybilrud (Fr., Eden Prairie, Minn.), who earned medalist honors at the Augsburg Invitational Sept. 9-10 and currently leads the team in stroke average, with a 77.33 mark. Ted Vickerman (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) has also showed consistent improvement, with a 78.00 average. Nick Krasin (Fr., Appleton, Wis./Appleton North HS) and Sean Anderson (Sr., Fargo, N.D./South HS) have also had solid seasons. Augsburg last won the conference title in 1995, but has finished in the top four every season since 1994 and third each of the last four seasons.

St. Thomas is seeking its sixth consecutive top-four finish -- taking second in 1997 and fourth in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. The Tommies finished just three strokes out of second place last season. Three players have past MIAC tournament experience -- senior Tom Wroblewski (Sr., Neenah, Wis.; 165 score in 2000) and juniors Luke Tierney (Jr., White Bear Lake, Minn.; 157 in 2000, 161 in 1999) and John Weiberg (Jr., St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS; 161 in 2000, 164 in 1999). Also in UST's lineup this weekend will be freshman David Dubord (Fr., Lauderdale, Minn./Roseville HS) and senior Mark Niles (So., Fargo, N.D./South HS).

The Tommies have had a different player post their low score in each of their four fall tournaments. They won the nine-team Augsburg tournament, took second of 14 teams at St. John's, placed fifth of 13 teams at Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and were sixth of 21 teams at last weekend's Twin Cities Classic with a 917 total. DuBord opened with a 71 on Saturday in the Twin Cities Classic at the Links in Northfork. Then he made the shot of the tournament Saturday as he recorded an extremely rare double-eagle, shooting a 2 on a par-5 hole at the Elk River Country Club. He holed out his 160-yard second shot with an eight-iron on the 500-yard hole. In the individual chase at the Twin Cities meet, DuBord placed sixth at 222 (71-76-75), and Wroblewski tied for ninth at 226 (75-74-77). Other UST players were Tierney at 233 (77-76-80), Weiberg at 237 (80-78-79) and senior Matt Rasmussen (Sr., Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS) at 247 (79-84-84).

Bethel has one All-MIAC player returning, Todd Peterson (Sr., Des Moines, Iowa), who finished 10th at last year's MIAC meet. The Royals lost another All-MIAC player to graduation, but still has several veterans back in action. The Royals most recently competed at the Minnesota-Crookston Maroon and Gold Invitational on Sept. 28-29, finishing in third place with a 656, two-day total. Jim Brovold (Fr., Andover, Minn.) and Peter Yankowiak (Sr., Mora, Minn.) shot 160 totals, with Mike Frost (Sr., Burlington, Ontario) shooting 167, Peterson shooting 170 and Jeff Kuehn (Sr., Echo, Minn.) shooting 180.

Concordia-Moorhead has steadily improved over the course of the past five weeks, coming off a fifth-place finish at the Twin Cities Classic. They were led by junior Adam Hanson (Barrett, Minn.) who finished second overall. Mike Hagen (Sr., Moorhead, Minn.) also placed in the top 25 by finishing 14th. The "H" duo of Hanson and Hagen have guided the Cobbers throughout the season as they have finished 1-2 for the team in all but one meet.

The Cobbers have also posted positive results at the Bemidji State Invitational, where they finished third, and the North Dakota Invitational, where they tied for second. Fighting for the other team spots at the MIAC meet will be Andrew Beliveau (So., Alexandria, Minn.), Jason Christiansen (Jr., Clinton, Minn./CBG HS), Carl Hunt (Fr., Crookston, Minn.) and Durand Onell (Jr., Litchfield, Minn.). The Cobbers are hoping their upward trend continues so they can place in the top three at the conference meet -- a feat that hasn't been accomplished by a Cobber team since the 1998 meet, when they finished second.

St. Olaf is looking to improve upon its seventh-place finish from last season's conference meet. The team has gained valuable experience this season in tuning up for the big tournament and hopes to convert that experience to consistent play and lower scores. Senior Brian Odlaug (Maplewood, Minn.) is looking to cap off his collegiate MIAC golfing career with a personal-best performance helping to lead the young Oles -- four of the five Oles expected to play in the tournament are sophomores -- to a respectable finish. The Oles team finished as high as fifth in both the St. John's Invitational and the Carleton Invitational.

St. Mary's will aim to improve on its eighth-place finish in last year's conference meet, and will do so with a rather young lineup. Eric Thom (So., Portland, Ore.) and Kyle Sabot (So., Arden Hills, Minn.) have been the Cardinals' leaders all season. Thom boasts a team-leading 78.1 average, while Sabot, who carded rounds of 76-78-83Ð237 to lead the Cardinals at the Twin Cities Classic, carries an 80.3 average. Senior Matt Konicek (Sr., Wauconda, Ill.), junior D.J. Schweitzer (Jr., Johnsburg, Ill.) and freshman Joe Monaldi (Fr., Valparaiso, Ind.) will likely comprise the remainder of the Cardinals' five-man team, while Paul Hable (Sr., Shoreview, Minn.) is also a possibility for the No. 5 slot.

Carleton's Matt Stangl (Sr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) will be bidding for his third all-conference finish. Last year, he shot an opening-round 81, preventing him from contending for individual medalist honors, although he rebounded to post a 1-over par 73 the final day, finishing sixth. Andrew Liesch (So., St. Louis Park, Minn.) gives the Knights a strong second man in the rotation. with an 81.0 stroke average. Newcomer Ryan Deisler (Fr., Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) has emerged as a solid third man with a stroke average of 81.4.

Macalester, under second-year head coach Martha Nause, is very optimistic about making considerable improvement in the MIAC standings this weekend. Eli Amerson (Sr., Port Townsend, Wash.) earned all-conference honors as a sophomore and leads Macalester into the MIAC championships. He's been Macalester's top golfer in all three tournaments this season, shooting a 13th-place 160 at the Augsburg Invitational, a seventh-place 159 at the Carleton Invitational and a medalist 155 at the Golf on the River Invitational last weekend. Kramer Lawson (Fr., Kenmore, Wash./Nathan Hale HS) and Mark Flynn (Sr., Madison, Wis.) also enjoying good seasons, with Lawson shooting a 13th-place 160 at the Augsburg Invitational and Flynn playing well as the team's No. 2 scorer last weekend. Flynn was Mac's top golfer at last year's MIAC tourney.