2016 MIAC Meet Preview
Concordia senior Cade Montplaisir will be looking to lead the team at the MIAC Championship Meet.
MIAC men's golf preview courtesy of Matt Higgins and the MIAC office
COON RAPIDS, Minn. – Recently the world learned what the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) has known for a while – nothing beats dramatic October golf in Minnesota.
A week after the state was the focus of the golf world while playing host to the Ryder Cup, there is another major high-stakes event ready to tee off, as the 2016 MIAC Men's Golf Championships begin Saturday and run through Monday at Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids, Minn. And, if last year's tournament is any indication, final-day drama and outstanding performances are definitely in the forecast.
A year ago, the race for the men's conference title – and the automatic bid to the NCAA Championships – wasn't just close, it was historic. Augsburg College held of St. Thomas by a single shot – 895 to 896 – to give the Auggies the title exactly 20 years since their last MIAC championship. Augsburg shot a blistering 292 on day one and held enough of a cushion to hold off a final-day charge from the Tommies, who carded a 296 over the final 18 holes, in one of the most memorable finishes in MIAC golf history.
Both Bethel and Gustavus were tied for third just six shots back of Augsburg (901) to give the MIAC an extremely formidable top four in 2015. Saint John's (914) edged Concordia (915) for another one-shot margin to grab the final spot in the top five. St. Olaf (932) was seventh, Carleton (951) was eighth, Macalester (980) finished ninth and Saint Mary's (995) rounded out the 2015 men's standings.
This season, the MIAC has three teams in the Top 25 and a fourth receiving votes in the national polls, so these teams picked up right where they left off. St. Thomas leads the way at No. 11 in the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) poll with Saint John's at No. 16 and Gustavus ranked 25th. Saint Mary's also received votes in the latest poll.
The fall season has seen several outstanding performances, with five teams averaging less than 310 shots per round. Saint John's leads the way with an average of 299.9, with Gustavus (301.8) less than two shots behind the Johnnies. Augsburg (304.6), St. Thomas (306.3) and Bethel (309.3) make up the rest of the top five in 2016 scoring average. Concordia has the sixth-best average of 314.8 and Saint Mary's and St. Olaf both average an even 318 shots per round, with Carleton (326) and Macalester (333.5) rounding out the statistical ranking.
The team success is powered by the individual star power shining throughout the MIAC. St. Thomas' Pete Sienko is back to defend his MIAC Championships individual title and he was also named the conference Player-of-the-Year in 2015-16. This season, Sienko's 76.6 average ranks 13th heading into the MIAC meet. Gustavus' Max Savini was named Rookie-of-the-Year in 2015-16 and was an All-Conference honoree, and he's tied for sixth this fall with a 75.6 average.
Including Siekno and Savini, nine of the 15 All-Conference golfers are back from a season ago. Defending champ Augsburg brings back All-Conference performers Michael Barrette and Brett Gaustad. Gaustad's 73.9 average leads the MIAC this fall, and Barrette (77.1) also ranks in the top 20. Gustavus' Chris Captain earned All-MIAC honors last season and has the second-best scoring average in 2016 at 74.2.
Bethel brings back Alex Case and Grant Exsted for their senior seasons after All-MIAC accolades in 2015-16, with Exsted's 75.3 average ranking fourth in the MIAC. Saint John's star Ryan Gallagher returns with a 75.7 average to rank eighth in the league this fall, and Concordia's Cade Montplaisir is back atop the Cobber lineup with a 76.2 average after All-Conference honors a year ago as well to round out the returning All-MIAC players.
The Johnnies have gotten great performances from Mack Farley (74.4, third), Austin Kottke (75.5, fifth) and Sam Olson (76.0, ninth) this fall en route to the league's best team average. Gustavus also has two other top-10 golfers entering the MIAC Championships in Alec Aunan (75.6, sixth) and Ben Hauge (76.2, 10th).
St. Thomas hopes Emmet Herb (76.5) and Shane Sienko (76.9) can continue their solid fall seasons, Augsburg's title defense hopes are bolstered by the play of Brett Buckingham (77.0) and Dakota Krech (77.2) and Bethel has Noah Bragg (76.8) in the lineup to help its chances. Concordia and first-year Head Coach Joe Christianson hopes Nathaniel Kahlbaugh and Blake Kahlbaugh can supplement Montplaisir's leadership.
There are plenty of other names around the league to watch as well. Carleton will be led by Perry Strong, who enters the MIAC meet with a team-best 77.8 average, and David Perl is coming off a second-place finish in his last meet. Chris Winge is again St. Olaf's top golfer; he led the team in scoring last year and averages 78.3 shots per round to lead the way again in 2016. Hank Grunau (78.7) enters the MIAC meet with the Oles' second-best average. Macalester's Jack Buan (78.0) and Drew Gumlia (78.3) lead the Scots into this season's MIAC Championships, and Saint Mary's will look to Blair Sanders (78.4) and Kyle Brodt (78.6) to lead the way at the conference meet.
The three-day, 54-hole MIAC Golf Championships will tee off Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Bunker Hills. Sunday's second round will also tee off at 10:30 a.m., and Monday's final round will tee off at 9 a.m. Spectators are welcome to attend and there is no admission fee, and spectators are encouraged to read and follow the tournament's spectator rules.
There will be a short awards ceremony following Monday's final round to honor the top teams and individuals. The championship team will receive the MIAC championship plaque, as well as the conference's automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Division III Golf Championships. The top 10 individual finishers will be named to the All-Championship team, and will be automatically eligible for All-Conference honors in the spring.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
There are numerous ways fans that aren't traveling to Coon Rapids can follow all the action throughout the tournament. The MIAC has enhanced its (unofficial) live scoring, and now offers hole-by-hole updates through Golfstat's live scoring system. Fans will easily be able to track team and individual progress throughout all three rounds.
The MIAC has a championship home page for the event, that will serve as the online home of the tournament. The championship page will include tee times, pairings and results as they become available, as well as recaps, photos and more.
| Championship Home Page | Men's Live Scoring |
CONCORDIA PREVIEW
Head coach
• Joe Christianson (1st season)
A Year Ago
• 6th place | Score: 915
Players to Watch
• Cade Montplaisir (Sr. | 2015 MIAC All-Conference; finished in a tie for third at last year's MIAC Meet; leads the team in scoring in 2016 with a 76.2 average)
• Nathaniel Kahlbaugh (So. | No.3 golfer for Concordia at the 2015 MIAC Meet; second on the team in scoring average in 2016 at 78.4))
• Blake Kahlbaugh (Fr. | Third on the team in scoring this year with a 78.7 average; fired a season-best 72 in the 1st round of the Twin Cities Classic last week)
Did You Know?
• Freshman Blake Kahlbaugh won the Minnesota State High School Class A championship last year by shooting a 2-round total of 138 at the Pebble Creek GC. His final total was the second lowest of any golfer in all three of the boys' divisions.