by Nate Silva
Staff Writer
The University of La Verne’s men’s golf team showed last week how they earned their current national ranking. The Leopards, who occupy the number eight position in all of division three, outplayed several scholarship schools on their way to a second place finish in the Southern California Intercollegiate Championship on March 13 and 14.
The Leopards, one of only two division three schools in the tournament, shot 292-312-612 and led after the first day of play, but would lose a little of their touch as Point Loma Nazarene College would come from one stroke back to win the championship on the Auld Course in Chula Vista by eight strokes.
“It got real windy the second day, that’s why all the scores went up,” said head coach Rex Huigens.
ULV though, was very happy with their performance.
Freshman Andrew Garcia expressed the joy of the team. “We played pretty solid. It felt great to play with those guys. A lot of us are guys who tried to get scholarships at those schools, but it didn’t work out.”
The Leopards would defeat eight division one and two schools, including host UC San Diego, San Diego State, Loyola, Western New Mexico State, and Cal State Dominguez Hills.
The only other non-scholarship school in the tournament besides La Verne was fellow SCIAC team, Redlands. The Bulldogs placed ninth out of ten teams, shooting 314-320-634, finishing 30 strokes behind La Verne.
Following the first round ULV had two of its five players under the course par 72. Garcia and sophomore Joey Murray shot 70 and 71 respectively on the first 18 holes,
“The wind made the course about eight strokes harder,” Garcia said, referring to his rough second day where he shot an 81.
Sophomore Joe Skovron would pace La Verne and the rest of the field on day two, not letting the wind effect his play.
Skovron finished round one at two over par, 74, but maintained that level of play shooting the same score on his second eighteen holes despite the swirling winds.
Skovron finished the tournament first in his division and third overall. Murray would finish right behind his teammate, second in his division and fourth overall, with totals of 71-78-149.
Garcia’s rough second day yielded him a respectable 36-hole total of 151.
The other two scores for La Verne were turned in by freshman Justin Assael (77-79-156) and sophomore Tom Reese (77-81-158) whose good scores kept the Leopards two strokes ahead of the third place San Diego State Aztecs.
The Leopards, whose only loss came to Cal Lutheran earlier in the season in a match that Huigens called “a match we deserved to lose,” have bounced back with outstanding play.
ULV’s conference play is significant to the team’s improvement and skill, but it is the SCIAC tournament that will determine the team’s national future.
“The SCIAC tournament is what really counts,” says Huigens.
ULV finishes their regular season with the 36-hole tournament at the end of April. Success there will lead to national competition and shot a national championship.
“Right now we are all just jockeying for position.”
La Verne’s position is looking good right now.
Having climbed ten spots between the last two national polls, the Leopards’ confidence is high.
“We’re all playing really well, and my game is starting to come around and so are the others,” says Garcia.
Players are confident in their team and in each other.
Garcia represented the optimism that the team feels, saying, “I don’t see why we shouldn’t win conference.”
The Leopards will try to continue their winning ways and get revenge on the Regals at the Cal Lutheran Invitational on March 25 and March 26.
