COLORADO – The Eastern Wyoming College Lancer golf team commenced the spring season with a bang, capturing wins at both the Battle of the Dance in Windsor, Colorado, and at a tournament hosted by Lamar and Otero colleges.
At the NCAA Battle of the Dance on March 20, the Lancers beat five colleges in their division to take first place, shooting 15 over par cumulatively as a team.
Traveling back to Colorado for the NJCAA Lamar-Otero Tournament, EWC captured first place with a combined score of 561 (+1). The Lancers shot consistently in both rounds (281-280) to pull ahead of both host colleges, Central Wyoming College, McCook Community College and Northeastern Junior College.
“The guys had a great week of golf,” coach Zachary Smith said. “It was great to start the season with two wins, especially with one of them being an NCAA tournament. We had lots of different guys step up when we needed them. I was very excited for (freshman) Taiki Sugawara this week. He was our highest finisher at both tournaments.”
Lamar-Otero College
Sugawara finished the Battle of the Dance in ninth place overall, shooting one-over-par for a cumulative total of 145 (72-73).
Sophomore Ryker Dunkley secured 14th place, improving from 77 in the first round to 72 in the second for a combined 149 (+5).
Freshman Tytan Brichell came in 15th place, tallying 149 strokes (+5).
Freshman Braylon Bingham took 22nd place at 152 (+8) with fellow freshman Joshua Chapman in 25th at 153 (+9).
Sophomore Leander Suttka finished the tournament in 35th place with a two-day score of 158 (+14).
Battle of the Dance
Sugawara led the Lancer pack in Windsor, snagging second place overall by shooting four-under-par for a combined 136. The freshman shot 71 in the first round, improving to 67 in the second.
Birchell took third place, shooting 70s in both rounds for a cumulative tally of 140 (on par).
Dunkley also shot consistently with 72 strokes in each round for a score of 144 (+4).
Bingham and Suttka finished in a three-way tie for eighth place at 145 (+5). Chapman tied for 13th (148, +8).
