It went right down to the wire — in fact, a little bit beyond it — on Wednesday for Colin Prater of Colorado Springs.
The redshirt sophomore for the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs tied for fifth individually in the men’s NCAA Division II West/South Central Regional in Las Cruces, N.M. More importantly, that left him in a three-way tie for second among individuals not on one of the five teams that qualified for nationals. And with just two players in that category earning individual spots in the upcoming DII nationals at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver, he played off with much at stake on Wednesday.
Alas, a bogey by Prater (pictured) on the first playoff hole cost him a shot at the remaining national berth as Calum Hill of Western New Mexico made par to secure the spot.
In regulation, Prater carded rounds of 72-70-69 for a 2-under-par 211 total, which left him five strokes behind regional champion Sam Johnston of Oklahoma Christian.
All told on Wednesday, 180 golfers — though none from Colorado schools — qualified for the men’s or women’s NCAA Division II Championships that will be held in the Denver area later this month. The men’s finals are set for May 17-21 at Green Valley Ranch, while the women’s nationals will be May 18-21 at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora.
On the men’s side, the top five team finishers and the top two individuals not on those teams from each regional earned spots in the finals in Denver.
Other players from Colorado schools who finished in the top 10 in Las Cruces were Nick Berry of the Colorado School of Mines and Luke Condon of Colorado Christian, who both tied for eighth place at 1-under-par 212. Colorado Christian was the top team finisher from Colorado, placing 10th in the 20-team field.
As for the women, the top three team finishers at each regional, and the top three individuals not on those teams, earned spots in the NCAA DII finals at CommonGround.
Metro State University of Denver junior Allie Johnston, the 2012 CWGA Match Play champion, entered the final round in seventh place at Super Region 4 in Stockton, Calif. But she was forced to withdraw due to an injury on Wednesday, dashing her hopes for a spot in the nationals.
The national tournaments, part of the NCAA Division II Spring Sports Festival in which titles in six sports (M&W golf, M&W tennis, softball and women’s lacrosse) will be at stake, will be hosted by Metro State and the Denver Sports Commission.
The men’s NCAA DII finals at Green Valley Ranch May 17-21 will feature 108 competitors — 20 teams and eight individuals. The format will be three rounds of stroke play, followed by two days of medal-match play. The top eight teams after the first three rounds of stroke play will advance to the match-play portion of the championship.
The women’s Division II finals at CommonGround May 18-21 will include a field of 72 golfers — 12 teams and 12 individuals. They’ll all play 72 holes of stroke play.
Tickets for the DII Spring Sports Festival will be $5 per person per day, or $15 for an all-session pass for the week. Tickets purchased at one site will be valid at all other competition sites.
For more information on the Spring Sports Festival, CLICK HERE.
For all the scores from the NCAA Division II regionals, CLICK HERE.
Women’s NCAA Division II Super Region 4
May 2-4, 2016 (final) in Stockton, Calif.
25. Cha Cha Willhoite, Metro State 74-74-78–226
66. Allie Johnston, Metro State 75-70-WD
Men’s NCAA Division II West/South Central Regional
May 2-4, 2016 (final) in Las Cruces, N.M.
10. (out of 20 teams) Colorado Christian 301-291-290–882
8. Luke Condon 73-69-70–212; 38. Matthew Goddard 78-73-70–221; 48. Nathaniel Goddard 74-73-76–223; 80. Sean Kato 76-78-74–228; 100. Andrew Kennedy 80-76-78–234.
12. Colorado-Colorado Springs 293-293-299–885
5. Colin Prater 72-70-69–211; 55. Kyle Southard 72-76-76–224; 63. Zach Tripp 75-75-75–225; 88. Zach Berhost 74-77-79–230; 108. Chris Reina 79-72-WD.
20. Regis 296-308-297–901
55. Jack Savage 77-74-73–224; 70. Matt Robertson 75-80-71–226; 80. Jordan McBrayer 75-76-77–228; 80. Grant Gavin 73-79-76–228; 98. Sam McKay 73-79-81–233.
Also
8. Nick Berry, Colorado School of Mines 73-71-68–212
24. George Markham, Colorado School of Mines 73-71-74–218
96. Jacob Allenback, Colorado State-Pueblo 77-80-75–232
