Spartan Golfer Ellia Soydara tied for second after day one.

Results of Round 1 of the 2024 NJCAA Div. III National Golf Championship at Chautauqua Golf Club (Par 72) in Chautauqua, NY.  This is a 4 round championship that concludes on Friday.

 

Women:

*M State Freshman Ellia Soydara shoots a first round 81 that puts her in a tie for 2nd individually, one shot off the lead..

*Ellia finished 4th individually last year as a first team All-American.

*Ivy Burnett of the College of DuPage shot the low round of the day with an 80.

 

Men:

*Spartan Men shoot a first-round team score of 322 putting them in 5th position.

*Adam Vatnsdal led the Spartans with a 79 while Charlie Fuder and Brock Thompson added rounds of 80.

*Sandhills CC, the 3-time defending champion, is the team leader with a team score of 291.

*This is the 13th consecutive year the Spartans have qualified for the National Tournament and have finished in the top 5 all but one of those years. The 13 years is the long running streak in Division III junior college golf.

 

Complete results of the championship can be found here: https://jccjayhawks.com/events/njcaa-championship

 

Men's Team Results:

1.Sandhills CC (Pinehurst, NC) - 291

T2.Georgia Military College (Milledgeville, GA) -300

T2.DuPage CC (Glen Ellyn, IL)- 300

4.SUNY Niagara (Sanborn, NY) - 316

5.M State (Fergus Falls, MN)- 322

6.RCSJ-Gloucester (Sewell, NJ)- 335

7.Ulster CC (Stone Ridge, NY)- 337

8.Delta College (University Center, MI)- 341

9.Hudson Valley Community College (Garden City, NY)- 342

10.Jamestown CC (Jamestown, NY)- 343

11.Westmoreland County Community College (Youngwood, PA)- 379

 

 

M State Men Individual Results:

Adam Vatnsdal- 79 (T22)

Charlie Fuder- 80 (T27)

Brock Thompson- 80 (T27)

Markus Nelson- 83 (T42)

Riley Stromlund- 90 (T63)

 

M State Head Coach Jason Retzlaff Quotes:

"Ellia really hung in there today.  She didn't have her best stuff but found a way to put up a solid score.  Chautauqua is a difficult course with very tough greens that can lead to big numbers.  There were numerous times she was in very difficult situations and managed her game very well to keep positive momentum going.  Her best golf is yet to come this week."

 

"I was very pleased with how our men played today to start the tournament.  For the most part we played well-especially on a day where the nerves can come into play.  The key for our team this week will be to manage the greens and minimize big numbers.  We did a pretty good job today in those aspects and it has put us in the upper half of the field.  Adam Vatnsdal did a great job leading us today. I was very pleased with Charlie and Brock coming back strong after slow starts.  It was a good start to a long week."

 

Photos attached:

 

1. Brock Thompson hitting his approach shot on the 17th hole on Tuesday during round 1.