Chico State Claims CCAA Men's Golf Team Title
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Chico State head coach Nick Green |
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CHICO, Calif. – After a hotly-contested medal/match final with Cal State Monterey Bay, the Chico State Wildcats are CCAA men’s golf team champions for just the second time in program history.
The Wildcats, No. 1 seed in the medal/match phase after 54 holes of stroke play scoring, took on the No. 2 Otters in the finale and Chico State came away with the narrow 3-2 win on Wednesday afternoon from Butte Creek Country Club.
“I’m very excited about the win today. Everybody played great,” noted Chico State head coach Nick Green after the match. “It was a fun battle with Monterey Bay, I knew it would be. There are a lot of talented kids on that team and they’re well-coached, so to come out as the CCAA champion is really fantastic for us.”
The first and last scores of the day to roll in went the way of the victors, after Christopher Colla and Kelley Sullivan both earned seven-stroke wins over their Otter foes. Cal State Monterey Bay nabbed points from Edward Hackett’s five-stroke advantage and 2018 CCAA individual champion Elis Svard. The sophomore from Sodertalje, Sweden, carded his fifth under-par round of the week en route to the 12-stroke win.
But the match ended up hinging on one pairing – Group 2’s Serge Kiriluk and Kirabo Reed. The match was all square after eight, when Reed parred the ninth as the sophomore from Brentwood put the Otters ahead. However, Kiriluk was able to par the next two and bogeys for Reed the saw the Chico State junior from Sonora take the lead. Kirluk would never relinquish his position, and after getting up and down on 18 he secured what would be the deciding point for the Wildcats.
“Serge asked me on I think the 12th or 13th hole if it was coming down to their match, and some of the other matches seemed like they were going a certain direction,” recounted Green. “He’s that kid I just said, ‘yeah, it’s on you. The match comes down to you.’ He was like, I love it. From then on he played really well.
“He wanted that. He’s an old football player, so it’s like fourth down, trying to sack the quarterback every time for him.”
The putt and the point after a key chip to within 2 ½ feet of the cup on 18 proved to be the difference as Chico State earned its first CCAA men’s golf title since 2012. Despite being the No. 1 seed heading into medal/match play in each of the four seasons since the format was instituted in 2015, this is the first time the Wildcats have advanced to the final match.
The Wildcats, ranked No. 13 nationally in the latest GolfStat rankings, earn the CCAA’s automatic entry into the field of the NCAA West/South Central Region, scheduled for May 7-9. Chico State will tee off at Tascosa Golf Club at La Paloma Course in Amarillo, Texas. Along with Chico State, the Otters and others from around the CCAA will be eyeing the regional selections and the chance to continue the season on the national stage, as those will be announced this Friday, April 27.
Ten teams and the top four individuals not with a team will be selected from each region to compete in one of four 54-hole regional tournaments. The top three teams and the top two individuals not with a team from each regional will advance to the 2018 NCAA Championship Finals, along with eight additionally selected teams. Those 20 schools will take to the course May 21-25 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at the Shoals in Muscle Shoals, Ala. Last year, three CCAA squads – Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State East Bay and Stanislaus State – advanced to the Championship Finals.
No. 1 Chico State 3, No. 2 Cal State Monterey Bay 2
Christopher Colla (CHICO) def. Maximillian Grieb (CSUMB); 7 strokes
Serge Kiriluk (CHICO) def. Kirabo Reed (CSUMB); 1 stroke
Edward Hackett (CSUMB) def. Josh McCollum (CHICO); 5 strokes
Elis Svard (CSUMB) def. Colby Dean (CHICO); 12 strokes
Kelley Sullivan (CHICO) def. Callum Carlstrom (CSUMB); 7 strokes