MCCOOK, NEBRASKA – The Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) men’s golf team advanced to the top spot on the leaderboard following two days of action at a tournament hosted by McCook Community College in Nebraska on March 28-29.
The Lancers beat seven teams at the tournament to snag first place with a cumulative total of 596 strokes at 20 over par. EWC shot consistently in both rounds, shooting 296 strokes on Thursday and 300 on Friday.
EWC freshman Joshua Chapman, hailing from Redruth, England, captured first place at the tournament. The Lancer shot a two-day, on-par score of 144, improving from 73 in the first round to 71 in the second.
Spring snowstorms struck central Nebraska in the days leading up to the tournament, initially causing concern about conditions on the golf course.

“McCook received a few inches of snow the week of the event, so we weren’t sure what to expect when we arrived on Thursday,” coach Zach Smith said. “There was still some snow here and there, but for the most part it was gone and the weather was pretty decent for a spring tournament.”
The Lancers confidently rose to the occasion on a particularly tough 18-hole course at Heritage Hills Golf Course.
“McCook’s course is always a challenge,” Smith added. “The guys battled both days to come away with our third win in as many starts this spring. I was very excited for Josh Chapman to come away with the individual win. He has had some great rounds this spring but hadn’t put a full tournament together until McCook.”
Top 20 leaders
Sophomore Ryker Dunkley tied for third place with a two-day score of 148 (four over par). Dunkley shot 73 on the first day and 75 on the second.
Freshman Taiki Sugawara garnered sixth place overall at 151 (+7), tallying 74 on Thursday, followed by 77 on Friday.
Freshmen Tytan Birchell and Jax Oviatt both placed 12th at 155 strokes (+11). The Lancer duo each shot 78 in round one and 77 in round two.
Mathis Fortin, also a freshman, finished the tournament at 15th place on the leaderboard at 156 (77-79, +12). Sophomore Tyler Wallace tied for 17th at 158 (76-82, +14) with fellow sophomore Leander Suttka in a tie for 19th place at 159 (80-79, +15).