I love seeing hard work pay off. I’ve put in a lot of hours and it’s finally all starting to slowly come together.”

EWC sophomore Tytan Birchell

TORRINGTON – Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) sophomore and Lancer golfer Tytan Birchell committed to continue his academic and athletic career at Ottawa University Arizona at a ceremony before teammates and coaches on April 16.

Birchell posted an exceptional spring season for the Lancers, culminating in the individual title at the NJCAA West District Tournament in Loveland, Colorado on April 25. Birchell tallied an impressive 202 strokes after three rounds at regionals, shooting 14 under par and tying the record at the Olde Course in Loveland in the process.

Birchell also broke the course record at the Cottonwood Golf Course in Torrington in early April during a routine practice session with teammates. The original record stood at 62 with Birchell shooting 11 under par to set a new course record of 61.

A highlight for Birchell this spring was winning the tough course at the McCook College invitational on March 28.

“I shot three over the first day (at McCook) and didn’t play very well,” Birchell recalled in an interview in April. “I went into the second day having zero expectations. I had a goal I set this spring to win one last tournament before I was done (at EWC). I ended up going out on the second day and shooting a really low score – a 64, which is eight under. That was pretty impressive – I was down by seven after the first day and ended up winning by one.”

Birchell played varsity golf all four years at his hometown high school in Roosevelt, Utah, before becoming a Lancer.

“I decided my senior year (in high school) I wanted to continue my golf career and ended up signing for EWC,” Birchell said.

Birchell’s trajectory from high school golf to four-year college athletics is the result of a tough work ethic.

“I love seeing hard work pay off,” Birchell said in April. “I’ve put in a lot of hours and it’s finally all starting to slowly come together. In golf, it’s all on you. If you want to win, it’s up to you. There’s nothing more rewarding than putting up a reasonable score and be like, ‘That’s why I play golf.’”

Birchell’s teammates and coaches at EWC are excited to see him take the next step in his career.

“Tytan had an insane spring season,” Lancer head coach Zach Smith said. “He has been a huge part of our success the last two years. He’ll love playing for Ottawa next year as he loves to practice, which you can easily do in Arizona all year long. I wish him nothing but the best and can’t wait to see him playing great golf for Ottawa next year.”