College Men’s Golf News – Guilford Earns 23rd NCAA Championships Bid

GUILFORD’S BID: By virtue of its victory in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Tournament April 23, Guilford College’s men’s golf team earned an automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Division III Championships. The full 42-team field was announced Monday and contains 33 automatic qualifiers with nine at-large selections. Six competitors will play as individuals, rounding out the 216-man field. The national championships will be held May 15-18 at the Grandover Resort and Spa in Greensboro. Grandover also hosted the championships in 2011, 2014, and 2015. Guilford and the Greensboro Sports Commission serve as the tournament hosts.

The team and individual champions will be determined after 72 holes of play or the conclusion of the last fully completed round. After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the top-18 teams and top-six individuals not on one of those teams.

GUILFORD VS. THE 2018 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS FIELD: The Quakers met 24 of the other 41 teams in the field during the regular season and compiled a 32-20 record in those meetings. Guilford’s 2017-18 records versus the 24 teams are as follows: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (2-0), Concordia (Texas) (0-2), Emory (1-2), Greensboro (5-0), Hope (0-1), Huntingdon (1-3), Illinois Wesleyan (1-2), LaGrange (2-0), La Verne (2-0), Methodist (0-4), New York University (1-0), North Carolina Wesleyan (1-0), Otterbein (1-0), Pacific Lutheran (1-0), Rhodes (1-1), St. John’s (Minn.) (0-1), St. John Fisher (1-0), St. Thomas (Minn.) (0-1), Southwestern (Texas) (1-0), Texas-Tyler (1-2), Transylvania (4-0), Washington and Lee (3-1), Webster (1-0), Wittenberg (2-0).

GUILFORD IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Guilford received its 23rd NCAA Championships bid in 27 years of NCAA membership and eighth since 2010. The Quakers won their second national title in four years in 2005 with a 25-stroke triumph over the University of Redlands at the Mission Inn Resort in Florida. Guilford captured the 2002 NCAA Championship with a six-stroke victory over Greensboro College at the Firethorn Golf Club in Lincoln, Nebraska. The title marked the program’s first NCAA Division III crown in any sport. The Quakers have three second-place finishes, including in 2017 when Guilford trailed Wittenberg University by two strokes after 72 holes. After leaving the NAIA ranks in 1991, the Quakers qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships in seven consecutive years .

Guilford’s NCAA Championships history is listed below:

Year    Rd. 1   Rd. 2   Rd. 3   Rd. 4   Total   Finish/Teams
1992    319     304     316     302     1241    11/21
1993    322     328     316     306     1272    16/22
1994    327     323     311     316     1277    T17/23
1995    333     325     328             986*    19/23
1996    297     311     295     309     1212    8/23
1997    302     295     340     302     1239    T5/23
1998    305     303     295     306     1209    11/23
2000    304     320     303             927*    T11/23
2001    293     292     283     295     1163    2/23
2002    300     311     301     300     1212    1/23
2003    313     305     298     307     1223    17/23
2004    312     304     314     292     1222    12/23
2005    302     285     297     290     1174    1/23
2006    299     296     302     318     1215    5/23
2007    307     311     314     312     1244    T7/35
2010    303     297     295     283     1178    2/37
2011    295     298     299     299     1191    9/40
2012    300     295     306     306     1207    11/41
2013    307     305     m/c     m/c	612     T17/41
2014    294     309     m/c     m/c     603     T17/41
2015    294     297     303     301     1195    8/41
2017    300     293     296     293     1180    2/42

* – tournament shortened by weather
m/c – missed cut

GUILFORD IN THE POSTSEASON: As seen by their NCAA Championships experience, the Quakers are no strangers to postseason competition. Guilford ranked among the elite NAIA men’s golf programs during its affiliation with the organization and won the 1989 NAIA national championship.

Guilford teams have qualified for national playoff competition 34 times in the last 42 years. The Quakers recorded top-six finishes in 10 NAIA National Tournaments from 1979-1990, including runner-up performances in 1985, 1986 and 1987. Guilford placed second in the 2010 NCAA Division III Championships by one stroke to Methodist University and second in the 2001 NCAA Division III Championships by one stroke to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

GUILFORD’S LINEUP
Low
Name (Class, Hometown) Rounds Avg. Round Best Finish (Score), Tournament, Dates
Zachary Evens (So., Mercer Island, Wash.) 22 73.36 67 1st (215), Tournament Town Preview, 9/24-25
Kell Graham (So., Scottsdale, Ariz.) 15 74.07 68 2nd (214), ODAC Championships, 4/22-23
Josh Hill (Jr., Superior, Colo.) 22 72.95 66 1st (216), West Cup, 3/26-27
Addison Manring (Fr., Stoneville, N.C.) 10 75.90 68 1st (212), ODAC Championships, 4/22-23
James Mishoe (So., Cary, N.C.) 10 72.00 69 1st (72), Transylvania Dual, 3/9
1st (206), Jekyll Island Intercollegiate, 3/16-18

QUAKER NOTES: The Quakers are ranked eighth in Golfstat.com’s May 7 Division III Relative Rankings with a 267-8 comparative record, including a 16-8 mark against top-25 clubs. St. Thomas University (Minn.) is ranked first… Guilford leads Division III in subpar strokes per round (3.07) according to the May 7 Golfstat.com Statistics Rankings. The Quakers are second nationally in birdies (320), fourth in par-five scoring (4.92), and fifth in average score (74.18), versus par (+2.55), and eagles (9)… Guilford’s 291.95 team stroke average stands first in school history, 5.48 strokes per round better than the current record of (297.43) set by the 1988-89 NAIA national championship team… the Quakers are ranked seventh in the May 4 Bushnell/Golfweek Division III Coaches’ Poll.

LAST TIME OUT: Guilford won its league-record 17th ODAC Championship Apr. 22-23 at the Bryan Park Champions Course in Greensboro. The Quakers, who won their seventh league crown in eight years, finished 33 strokes ahead of second-place Washington and Lee University, the second-biggest victory margin in tournament history. Guilford shot one-under-par 289-292-282-863, the lowest team score since the league adopted a 54-hole format in 2007. The victory marked the Quakers’ fifth of the year and gives Guilford eight top-four finishes in 10 events.

Freshman Addison Manring captured his first career medalist honor by two strokes over teammate Kell Graham, a late replacement in the field for an ill teammate. Manring became the Quakers’ 15th ODAC Tournament winner by shooting four-under 73-68-71-212. Graham rallied late for his second straight ODAC tourney runner-up effort and shot 74-72-68-214. The Quakers’ Josh Hill, the 2017 ODAC Tournament medalist, was four strokes off the lead in third place to join Manring and Graham on the all-tournament team. He carded a 70-75-71-216, seven strokes better than teammate James Mishoe, who finished eight at 74-77-72-223. Sophomore Zachary Evens shot 72-78-74-224 and shared 10th place.

HEAD COACH JUSTIN TERESHKO: Justin Tereshko joined Guilford’s athletics staff as the Quakers’ head men’s golf coach in September 2014. He replaced Corey Maggard, who resigned to become assistant men’s golf coach at NCAA Division I Auburn University.

Tereshko became the first Guilford coach since Maggard in 2013 to win the ODAC’s Jack Jensen Coach of the Year this spring. He helped Guilford win five different events in 2017-18, including the ODAC Tournament and the prestigious West Cup in California. The Quakers have been ranked among the top-20 teams all season long in both the Golfstat.com and Bushnell/Golfweek Division III Coaches’ rankings, including two stints in the top-five. Guilford is presently rated seventh in the coaches’ poll and eighth by Golfstat.com. The Quakers have used 10 different golfers in 10 events who have combined for five first-place finishes and 17 top-five results.

Guilford has made three NCAA Division III Tournament appearances and won three ODAC crowns in Tereshko’s three-plus seasons. The Quakers won the ODAC tourney and placed eighth in the national tournament in 2014-15, his first year. Two Quakers (Ty Palmer ’17 and Drew Thompson ’15) both received Third Team PING Division III All-America honors that year. The pair also garnered All-South honors in 2015. Aaron Abts ’16 became the first Tereshko-coached Quaker tabbed to the Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars List in 2016. With five students recognized in 2017, Tereshko has tutored 10 different Quakers to 13 All-ODAC commendations, including Thompson, the league’s 2015 Golfer of the Year.

Tereshko spent most of the 2013 and 2014 seasons as the men’s and women’s assistant golf coach at DePauw University under Vince Lazar. With Tereshko on staff, DePauw placed eighth at the 2013 and 2014 Division III Women’s Golf Championships and won two North Coast Athletic Conference titles. The Tigers’ Paige Gooch earned First Team All-America honors from the Women’s Golf Coaches’ Association and was one of three DePauw students tabbed as 2014 all-region selections.

After graduating from Transylvania University in 2012 with an exercise science degree, Tereshko spent the fall season as interim head men’s golf coach and head women’s golf coach at Huntingdon (Ala.) College.

Like his predecessor at Guilford, Tereshko was an accomplished golfer at Transylvania under head coach Brian Lane. (Maggard was a Transylvania assistant coach for Tereshko’s first two years at the Kentucky school.) A two-time PING NCAA Division III All-American, Tereshko helped the Pioneers to second place in the 2012 Division III Championships, the best of Tereshko’s four NCAA appearances. He also ranked among Division III’s top-five statistical leaders in five categories that season, including stroke average. Transylvania won four Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament titles in Tereshko’s tenure, including in 2012 when he won medalist honors and was named the league’s player of the year.

Tereshko remains a competitive golfer and reached the Round of 32 at the 2014 United States Amateur Championship. The Madison, Indiana, native placed second at the 2016 North Carolina Amateur Championship and was selected for North Carolina’s 2016 United States Golf Association Men’s State Team. He won the 2017 North Carolina Amateur, reached the match-play round of the 2017 U.S. Amateur, and was exempted into the 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur where he also match play.

Student Profiles

Zachary Evens (So., Mercer Island, Wash.) – his 73.36 stroke average in a team-high 22 rounds stands third on the team, fourth in the ODAC, and 11th in school history… has five subpar rounds and one even-par rounds… ranks 39th in the 2017-18 Golfstat.com Division III Head-to-Head Player Standings… has six top-11 finishes in nine stroke-play events… one of 30 semifinalists for the 2018 Division III Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award presented by Barbasol… two-time First Team All-ODAC honoree… two-time ODAC Golfer of the Week this season… won the Tournament Town Preview here at Grandover in September (68-74-75-216), his first college medalist honor… placed fourth at Transylvania Fall Invitational and Kinder Memorial in season-opening tourneys… had Guilford’s top result in three events… finished fourth at the 2017 Seattle Amateur Championship, one stroke behind the leaders.

NCAA Division III Championships Results: 2017 (300, T30).

Kell Graham (So., Scottsdale, Ariz.) – 74.07 average in 15 rounds ranks fourth on the team and sixth in the ODAC… ranks 125th in the 2017-18 Golfstat.com Head-to-Head Player Standings… has five subpar rounds and one even-par rounds… fired a career-low 68 in the final round of the ODAC Tournament to finish second for the second straight season… was a late replacement for ODAC Rookie of the Year Louis Lambert (fever) in the league championships… won all three matches at the Division III Match-Play Invitational here at Grandover April 6-7… earned All-ODAC Tournament honors for the second year in a row… had three top-five finishes… placed fifth at the season-opening Transylvania Fall Invitational (141) and Kinder Memorial (139).

NCAA Division III Championships Results: 2017 (298, T28).

Josh Hill (Jr., Superior, Colo.) – 72.95 average in a team-high 22 rounds ranks third ODAC leaders and stands fourth in school history… has eight subpar rounds and four even-par rounds… ranks 43rd in the 2017-18 Golfstat.com Division III Head-to-Head Player Standings… has five top-five finishes… 2016-17 PING honorable mention All-American… two-time First Team All-ODAC honoree… two-time ODAC Golfer of the Week this season… claimed second college medalist honor with one-stroke win at the West Cup in La Verne, California… shot 71-74-71-216 for the win… took second at the Kinder Memorial by shooting eight-under-par 136 over 36 holes… had Guilford’s top result in two events… placed 26th at the 2016 Colorado Amateur.

NCAA Division III Championships Results: 2017 (294, 12th).

Addison Manring (Fr., Stoneville, N.C.) – Averages 75.90 strokes in 10 rounds, which ranks eighth on the team… had two subpar rounds, both of which came at the ODAC Championships, which he won by two strokes for his first college medalist honor… shot 73-68-71-212 (-4) for his first college medalist honor… had Guilford’s top result in one event… named to the All-ODAC Tournament team… qualified in practice for the final spot on Guilford’s ODAC Tournament team.

NCAA Division III Championships Results: first appearance.

James Mishoe (So., Cary, N.C.) – League-leading 72.00 stroke average in 10 rounds leads the ODAC and ranks first in school history… had three subpar rounds and two even-par rounds… won the Jekyll Island Intercollegiate by two strokes for his first college medalist honor… shot 69-70-69-206 (-6), the second-lowest 54-total in school history… one of 30 semifinalists for the 2018 Division III Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award presented by Barbasol… named First Team All-ODAC… won ODAC Golfer of the Week Award after Jekyll Island win… had Guilford’s top result in one event… placed fourth at the West Cup… joined the team in January… played the 2015-16 season at NCAA Division I University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

NCAA Division III Championships Results: first appearance.

HOME COOKING: The NCAA Championship marks the fifth of 11 events in Greensboro for Guilford this season. The Quakers played in the Tournament Town Preview in the fall and the 2018 Division III Match-Play Invitational in the spring. Both events took place at Grandover. Guilford hosted its annual O’Briant-Jensen Memorial in October at its home course, the Sedgefield Country Club-Dye Course, and won the ODAC Championships on Bryan Park’s Champions Course last month.