Eagles win NCCAA National Invitational Championship
Golf - Eagles win NCCAA National Invitational Championship
The Eagles traveled to Panama City, FL to participate in the NCCAA National Invitational Golf Championship and came home the winner.
The team members to travel to the invitational were Corey Wade, Patreick Emery, Tyler Spence, Pete Ervin, Joey Greer and Evan Rider. The first round saw the Eagles put up their second lowest score for the year; 330. The top four scores for Toccoa Falls were; Wade-80, Emery-79, Ervin-84, and Greer-87. Clearwater Christian, last year's winner, was in second place after the first round with a score of 373.
The second round did not produce the numbers the Eagles had hoped for as they added 18 strokes to their first round score shooting a 348. Coach Sanders believed there were two major reasons for the team's lapse in the second round. The first being the large lead over Clearwater after the first round and the second being the weather as the wind became a factor in all team play. The Invitational is a NCCAA Division II tournament and at the same event Division I teams from the NCCAA are also participating. On the final day over half the field both divisions went to higher numbers.
The bright spot for the Eagles on the second round was the play of Tyler Spence. Spence who shot a 91 in the first day had a creditable 78 on the final round, with an eagle in the front nine. On the third fairway Spence holed out a shot of 140 yards to record his eagle. Out of a field of 90 players, including both Divisions I and II, the 78 shot by Spence was top third in the scoring. The Eagles also shot better than two colleges in Division I, scoring ahead of Bluefield College and Southwest Christian.
Corey Wade and Joey Greer are the only seniors on this year's team. Wade has been a four year starter for the Eagles and has led the team in almost every aspect of the game. He will be missed as Wade has not only proven to be the Eagles top golfer, but also the leader of the team. Coach Sanders remarked, "At almost every tournament at least one or two people will come up to me and speak about the attitude of Cory Wade and how well he handles himself on the course. He has always represented our college well and demonstrated his Christian testimony to those around him."
The NCCAA awarded Wade his second Academic All-American certificate as he has kept a GPA of 3.9 over his four year collegiate career.
The Eagles will look forward to a limited spring schedule, but in the meantime the players will enjoy winning the NCCAA National Invitational Championship.
Toccoa Falls College was founded in 1907 and is a four-year Christian college that uniquely integrates Biblical truth, academic excellence, and intentional Spiritual Formation in a caring, Christian community. For information on Toccoa Falls College, please visit www.tfc.edu or contact Public Relations at 706-886-7299, ext. 5218.