Champion Yellowjackets lead UMAC men's golf postseason awards
ST. PAUL, Minn.---The 2018 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Men's Golf Championship couldn't have been more exciting taking a team playoff to decide the team victor. Following the thrilling three days of action, champion University of Wisconsin-Superior headlines the all-conference awards with four first team honorees, announced Monday.
Yellowjackets Head Coach Paul Eberhardt snagged his second-straight Coach of the Year honor following his team's first-ever title, while runner-up University of Northwestern saw senior Mike Vowels earn medalist at the Championship and Player of the Year by virtue of coaches' votes. First-year Orion Collins of the University of Minnesota Morris was selected as the Rookie of the Year.
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Championship Site |
Championship Results |
Eberhardt's Yellowjackets saw its most successful season since joining the UMAC come to fruition in 2018 which yielded the program's first title and an eventual trip to the NCAA Championships in May. Under Eberhardt's direction, four players finished in the top 10 at the UMAC Championships to headline a newly-formatted all-conference team that now includes 10 players named First Team – includes top eight finishers plus ties at the UMAC tournament plus two additional via coaches' vote – and five additional players selected Honorable Mention via coaches' vote.
This season, the Yellowjackets collected two additional tournament victories and finished second as a team three additional times during the season. The squad led the UMAC in scoring average heading into the conference tournament and finished the fall leading with 310.4 strokes per round. The four All-UMAC finishers in Joey Cummings (3rd), Ryan Peterson (4th), Tyler Smith (T-8th) and Olle Sedelius (10th) all rank in the top 11 in the UMAC for scoring average in 2018.
While Wisconsin-Superior came out on top as a team, Vowels did the same individually in leading Northwestern into a tie with Wisconsin-Superior after three rounds at the UMAC Championship. Vowels carded a three-day score of 222 (+6) to win his first conference medalist honor by two strokes. The senior shot 73 (+1) to start day one in the lead and posted a 74 (+2) in round three for the comeback victory over teammate Nick Mahowald.
This season, Vowels led the UMAC in scoring average coming into the tournament and improved his conference-best average to 75.0 following his stellar championship performance. Vowels recorded five top-10 finishes this season and two win including the Bethany Lutheran College Viking Invite which earned him Player of the Week accolades Oct. 2. He ends his career with two All-UMAC awards as an Eagle.
Though Minnesota Morris didn't finish near the top as a team, the future looks bright for the Cougars with Collins in the lineup. The first-year won just the second-ever UMAC Rookie of the Year award after ending his rookie season ranked 15th in scoring average (80.9). He also put together a solid finish at the UMAC Championship placing 11th with a score of 240 (+24). Collins' debut season was highlighted by three top-10 placings and a low round of 76 (+4) in a dual match with Martin Luther College.
Including Vowels, there were six players who earned All-UMAC honors for at least the second time in their careers. Caleb Johnson of Northwestern finishes his career with his fourth-straight All-UMAC season. Mahowald and Spencer Viita of the College of St. Scholastica each picked up their third-straight All-UMAC award in as many seasons, while Cummings and Smith of Wisconsin-Superior finished with back-to-back All-UMAC seasons.
Austin Coyne (Crown College) and Jordan Petzel (Bethany Lutheran) each finished their solid careers with their first-ever All-UMAC finishes, while Anthony Ahrens of St. Scholastica ended his sophomore campaign with his first First Team honor. The first-ever Honorable Mention squad included Liam Butche (St. Scholastica), Sam Havnen (Bethany Lutheran), Oscar Larsson (Northland College), Kyle Och (Minnesota Morris) and Mason Parker (Northland).
North Central won the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represents sportsmanship throughout the entire season, including the championship event. Each team also had one representative named to the individual sportsmanship award list.
2018 Medalist* - Mike Vowels, Northwestern
Player of the Year^ - Mike Vowels, Northwestern
Rookie of the Year# - Orion Collins, Minnesota Morris
Coach of the Year - Paul Eberhardt, Wisconsin-Superior
2018 UMAC Men's Golf All-Conference First Team
| Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| Anthony Ahrens |
St. Scholastica |
So. |
Virginia, Minn./Virginia |
| Austin Coyne |
Crown |
Sr. |
Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei |
| Joey Cummings |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Duluth, Minn./Duluth East |
| Caleb Johnson |
Northwestern |
Sr. |
Ham Lake, Minn./Legacy Christian |
| Nick Mahowald |
Northwestern |
Jr. |
Watertown, S.D./Watertown |
| Ryan Peterson |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Duluth, Minn./Duluth East |
| Jordan Petzel |
Bethany Lutheran |
Sr. |
Arlington, Minn./Sibley East |
| Olle Sedelius |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Gothenburg, Sweden/Hvitfeldtska Gymnasiet |
| Tyler Smith |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View |
| Spencer Viita |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
Cook, Minn./North Woods |
| Mike Vowels*^ |
Northwestern |
Sr. |
White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake |
2018 UMAC Men's Golf All-Conference Honorable Mention
| Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| Liam Butche |
St. Scholastica |
So. |
Duluth, Minn./Duluth East |
| Sam Havnen |
Bethany Lutheran |
Sr. |
Fairmont, Minn./Fairmont |
| Oscar Larsson |
Northland |
Sr. |
Galve, Sweden |
| Kyle Och |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Sartell, Minn./Sartell-St. Stephen |
| Mason Parker |
Northland |
Sr. |
Solon Springs, Wis./Solon Springs |
2018 UMAC Men's Golf Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award - North Central
Bethany Lutheran - Nic Meyer, Sr., Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield
Crown - Austin Coyne, Sr., Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei
Martin Luther - Zach Zuberbier, Jr., Milwaukee, Wis./Martin Luther
Minnesota Morris - Kyle Och, Sr., Sartell, Minn./Sartell-St. Stephen
North Central - D.J. O'Brien, Sr., Scandia, Minn./Chisago Lakes
Northland - Mason Parker, Sr., Solon Springs, Wis./Solon Springs
Northwestern - Noah Johnson, So., Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View
St. Scholastica - Cole Martin, Sr. Cook, Minn./North Woods
Wisconsin-Superior - Chase Hoople, So., Chippewa Falls, Wis./Chippewa Falls