Kendallville, IN — At first glance, Goshen’s ninth-place finish at this week’s Mid-Central Conference Championships may not have seemed impressive.
Deeper inspection would prove quite the contrary.
The Goshen College men’s golf team fired rounds of 363, 349 and 366 at Noble Hawk Golf Links on Monday and Tuesday, completing the 54-hole, two-day event — and its 2007 season — with a plethora of improvements. The Leafs’ secured several team-best marks under fourth-year head coach Cory Furman, including overall season scoring average (354), MCC Championship average (359.3) and lowest round away from home (337 at Rozella Ford Golf Course, click here for article).
“Our goal every year is to improve both individually and collectively, and we were able to do both in a multitude of ways this season,” Furman said. “We never quite made our goal of shooting in the 320’s (as a team) in any event this year, but that’s something we’ll set as a target again next year. I’m confident that we can get even better.”
A wet and windy start to this week’s MCC Championships made Noble Hawk a tough draw, as players completed 36 holes Monday and the final round Tuesday. Goshen’s second-round 349 was just one shot off its final-round, 348 card back in the 2005 MCC Championships (click here for article), a tally that remains as the Leafs’ best 18-hole score at the league event in Furman’s tenure.
“That was really the only other goal we didn’t accomplish,” Furman said. “We wanted to shoot at least one round better here than what we shot back in 2005. We got awfully close Monday afternoon, but just couldn’t pull it off.”
Freshman Taylor TenHarmsel led the Leafs in two of the three rounds this week, firing a first-round 85 and a final-round 81, the latter being the lowest card of any Goshen player on the two-day event. Sophomore Shawn Martz took team scoring honors during round two, carding an 83.
“Taylor really came on strong for us this year, and he showed some signs of big promise,” Furman said. “His first round score came via a 38-47 breakdown, and his final round score was a 38-43 card. Shawn, meanwhile, really surprised a lot of people in the first two rounds. He had an 89, 83 on Monday, and that was not an easy day at all to play. Walking 36 is tough, and Shawn played his game brilliantly.”
Goshen’s most improved play came from unattached senior Chad Unrein and freshman Ryan Hallman, as the tandem came back to post 18- and 16-shot improvements from round one to round two, respectively. Unrein carded a second-round 85 after posting a 103 score in the morning, while Hallman took an 88 after a 104 in the a.m.
“I was really proud of the way Chad and Ryan competed after having some rough rounds Monday morning,” Furman said. “Ryan has played with a bad back for much of the year, and it just gave out on him Tuesday. Our (final-round) team score could have been much better had Ryan been able to swing freely.”
Goshen was also without the services of unattached senior Tyler Roth on Tuesday, as Roth battled illness to post scores of 101 and 95 on Monday before a relapse following the round.
“Tyler really shouldn’t have played at all, but he wanted to try to gut it out on Monday,” Furman said. “It probably wasn’t the best idea, as his fever increased Monday night and he was forced to stay home Tuesday.”
Roth was yet another example of incredible personal improvement on the season, as his overall scoring average of 91.3 was over six shots better than last year’s 97.6 aggregate. Similar betterment was made by all of the Leafs’ returnees, as Unrein (97.6 to 92.8), Martz (101.3 to 89.8) and senior Tyler Springer (101.0 to 95.0) all made significant progressions in their games.
“That has to be the most rewarding thing for me,” Furman said. “To have guys just get so much better, that’s really what the game of golf, and athletics in general, is all about. Tyler Roth went from shooting a 128 in his first collegiate event back in 2005 to scoring a career-best 82 at our own invitational this year (click here for article). That’s just good stuff.”
Indiana Wesleyan University captured the team title at this week’s championships, firing rounds of 294, 298 and 298 (890) to knock off defending champ Bethel College (892) by just two strokes. Wesleyan’s Austin Conroy took individual medalist honors with an average score of 70, a clip that featured the low round of the tournament — an amazing 67 on Monday morning. Marian College finished third with a combined score of 895, while Huntington University finished fourth with a total score of 898.
Mid-Central Conference officials noted that eight strokes separating the top four teams was the most competitive championship event in league history.
Goshen’s official scores — by NAIA standards — were 366, 358 and 384, as Unrein and Roth’s cards were unattached. For a complete list of team and individual finishes at this year’s MCC Championships, click here.
“Overall, it was a great year,” Furman said. “We have great guys who really enjoy being part of this and in turn, that makes it really fun for me. We will certainly miss our seniors in Chad, Tyler and Tyler, but our returning guys can come back even stronger. I’m looking forward to things to come.”
Goshen Results
Mid-Central Conference Championships
Noble Hawks Golf LInks
GOSHEN COLLEGE – (363/349/366) TenHarmsel, 85/93/81, 86.3 avg.; Penner, 88/94/93, 91.7 avg.; Unrein, 103/85/90, 92.7 avg.; Hallman, 104/88/108, 100 avg.; Roth 101/95/DNP, 98 avg.; Martz, 89/83/102, 91.3 avg.
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Here For Complete 2007 Season News
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Freshman Taylor TenHarmsel 