Wittenberg Men’s Golf strikes down second-ranked Huntingdon by four strokes to record another first place finish on the year.
Colin Laszlo, ‘19, helped lead the Tigers to a spectacular finish after carding par at the Wynlakes Intercollegiate, shooting 144 between the two rounds. The Hawaii-native left Alabama tied for third, his best finish since September where he tied for second at Allegheny.
“I played really well on the second day,” Laszlo said. “Tee to green, it was one of my better rounds in my collegiate career actually.”
The Tigers carded four-strokes ahead of Huntingdon to bring a first place finish back to Springfield for the third time this season.
The Tigers were behind by six strokes after the first round. The red and white came from behind to beat out the deficit, moving from third to first. Laszlo; Cooper Taylor, ‘19; and Isaac Hartley, ‘19, each improved between rounds to contribute to the top-placement.
Laszlo shot 75 on day one, improving to three under par on day two. The junior has shot a handful of 70’s in his career, however it was his first round of 69 since the NCAA Division III preview in 2016 and the Wright State Invitational in spring 2017.
In a field off 88 golfers, four of the five on the A-team finished in the top-20, also finishing no more than seven over par.
Cameron Willis, ‘20, saw consistency from round to round, finishing both at 73 for a combined score of 146 to tie for sixth.
Taylor came in third on the team, tying for 13th overall. The Colorado-native improved seven strokes from rounds one to two, carding 78 and 71.
Recent success of Wittenberg will soon lead them back to an expected first place finish at the NCAC championship and then on to the NCAA Division III Championships.
Michael Leotta, head coach of the golf programs at Wittenberg, has taught the teams to control what can be controlled, Laszlo said, who believes this mindset will take them far into May.
Huntingdon College finished four strokes behind the Tigers. Huntingdon’s Drew Mathers came away with the medalist honors for the Wynlakes Intercollegiate.
Huntingdon was in the hunt for national champion honors last May, but were taken out by the Tigers as the championship came to a close.
On March 26, Tigers scratched out #2 Huntingdon, #6 Emory, #15 Greensboro and #17 Rhodes at the Wynlakes Intercollegiate.
“We are preparing well and learn from each round in competition that we play,” Laszlo said. “It is important for us to stay hungry and patient throughout the remainder of the season, so we can be at our peak in May.”
The team heads to North Carolina the first weekend of April to preview the NCAA Championship course, before returning to Ohio in preparation of the NCAC Championships at the end of the month.
