The North Region of the National Collegiate Club Golf Association (NCCGA) began it’s inaugural season of competition, and the Wisconsin Badgers walked away after the weekend with strong momentum as the team looks for it’s third consecutive berth to NCCGA Nationals.
Wisconsin got off to a blazing start on Saturday, led by senior Mike Kenning’s one-over-par 72 and freshman Caleb Baltes’ 74. Eric Anderson and Aaron Krueger added 79’s, to give the Badgers’ A team a day-one total of 384. Wisconsin’s B team received solid performances from sophomores Bryan Taruno (76) and Tyler Piddington (78) and freshman Barrett Eickhof (78), giving their B Team second place at 397. Michigan Tech (412) rounded out the top three thanks to Walker Hyland’s 77 and David Johnstone’s 79.
Day two proved to be much more of a challenge with cool temperatures and increased wind speeds, but the Badgers, paced by sophomores Alex Schremp (75) and Krueger (76), held on for the win. Wisconsin’s B team got solid performances from Piddington, Taruno, Eickhof, and Brandon Andreasen, who all carded 80 to propel the Badgers A and B teams to a 1-2 finish. Michigan Tech held on for third, followed closely by Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Whitewater’s Patrick Fridland fired a final-round 74, which earned him medalist honors for the weekend (78-74—152). In their first semester of competition, Fridland paced the Warhawks, who will look to build on this experience going forward.
Final Team Results:
- Wisconsin (A): 384-396—780
- Wisconsin (B): 397-404—801
- Michigan Tech: 412-407—819
- Wisconsin-Whitewater: 421-412—433
- Marquette (A): 424-418—842
- Wisconsin-Milwaukee: 457-443—900
- Marquette (B): 470-445—925
All-Tournament Team:
- Patrick Fridland (Whitewater): 78-74—152 (Medalist)
- Mike Kenning (Wisconsin): 72-83—155
- Aaron Krueger (Wisconsin): 79-76—155
- Caleb Baltes (Wisconsin): 74-82—156
- Bryan Taruno: (Wisconsin B): 76-80—156
- James Christian (Marquette): 78-79—157
- Walker Hyland (MTU): 77-80—157
- Tyler Piddington (Wisconsin B): 78-80—158
***Connect with RC Bobby Puchner @NCCGANorth.
