APR. 10 — Leafs Bring Home Hardware After Seven-Year Hiatus
Goshen finishes second out of 14 teams in A.C. Eddy Invitational

Freshman Tom Stahly Freshman Aaron Schenk

Angola, IN — First-year Goshen head golf coach Brent Kaufman was looking to show other are schools that his team could compete with them on the golf course. On Wednesday, his team did much more than just compete.

Finishing with a team score of 306, the Maple Leafs walked away from the A.C. Eddy Invitational at Tri-State University with the tie-breaker for second place, falling behind only to the host school and staying even with Olivet College. The second place finish marked the first time in seven years that Goshen has claimed a team trophy at any tournament.

With six of the eight Mid-Central Collegiate Conference teams participating in the 14-team event, Kaufman was very impressed following his squad’s performance.

“I was pleased with everyone’s composure and the way they handled themselves throughout the day on the course,” Kaufman said. “Our goal was to show other schools that we could compete, and we did just that.”

Goshen was led by a threesome of freshmen. First-year player Tom Stahly tied for a fourth-place individual finish with a 3-over par 75, while classmate Aaron Schenk tied for fifth with a 76. Fellow freshman Rob Gawne recorded a 77, giving the Leafs a powerful top three.

“It was an excellent showing from our three freshman especially,” Kaufman said. “Our players received a lot of congratulatory comments from opposing coaches and players. This is a great situation for us in terms of gaining some confidence.”

Senior All-Conference performer Ryan Stiffney shot a 78 for the day, while the fifth golfer participating, sophomore Andrew Kauffman, shot an 80. As the fifth golfer, Kauffman’s score was the determining factor in the team tie-breaker — since his 80 was better than Olivet’s fifth-best score, Goshen was awarded the second place finish.

The Leafs now hit the conference stretch of its season, hosting an MCC match on Saturday at home (Black Squirrel) while traveling to Marian (Hanging Tree) on April 15 and Taylor (Walnut Creek) on April 17. NAIA Regional competition begins on April 24.