SMCC Men's Golf Set to Defend NJCAA Division II National Championship
PHOENIX ---
The South Mountain Community College men's golf team will travel to the 2021 NJCAA Division II National Championships May 18-21 at Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, Ind., set to defend its 2019 National Title after a stellar 2021 spring season. The Cougars won all seven of their 2021 spring tournaments and produced the individual medalist at all seven events to build momentum for these championships.
"We are lucky, blessed, fortunate and thankful to have this opportunity," said SMCC head coach Aaron Puetz. "It has been a difficult year, especially not having a fall season, but being able to defend our title is icing on the cake. We are lucky to have leadership at the Maricopa County Community College District to give us the guidelines to return to play safely. It has been a great year, and winning has been a bonus."
Most recently, SMCC won the NJCAA Region I Division II Championship at Gold Canyon Golf Course in Gold Canyon, Ariz., from April 29-May 2. Freshman Cecil Belisle claimed individual medalist honors with a four-under, 276 over the four rounds of competition, including a five-under performance over rounds two and three.
Sophomore Nick Hedman finished second at the tournament, totaling a four-over, 284 in 72 holes, freshman Damon Vilkauskas tied sixth at the event with a nine-over, 289, sophomore Ryan Macpherson finished eighth at 11-over, 291 and freshman Jando Hernandez played three rounds at the event. Belisle, Hedman, Macpherson and Vilkauskas earned NJCAA All-Region I Division II honors. Belisle, Valkauskas and Hedman also received First Team All-ACCAC awards, and Macpherson earned a spot on the Second Team All-ACCAC.
"We are lucky to have a lot of depth on our roster this year, and it has made things very competitive in regards to qualifying and who gets the top five spots," Puetz said. "Nick, Ryan and Cecil all have two individual wins this spring and are ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the country. Damon and Jando have shown consistency all year, are ranked 5th and 11th in the country and are ready to play their best. This year we get to take a substitute, so Jake Carlson, who played great for us in the middle stretch of our season, will be joining us."
The team has had success at this course and won the 2016 and 2019 National Championships there, although none of the current Cougars have played it. However, Puetz is confident that his previous experience will help, and the most significant factor is likely to be the weather.
"Our top priority is to have fun. As a team, we will come up with scoring goals during our practice rounds, and that is how we always determine our success," Puetz said. "In golf, we play against the golf course, not the other teams. If we achieve our team goal we have set for ourselves, we will feel good about the week regardless of what place we finish."
Covid has made this a year unlike any other. The Cougars have adjusted smoothly, and that has made quite an impression on the head coach.
"Looking back at all the obstacles, a different structure at practice than previous years, and classes being online, the thing that sticks out most to me is how resilient these student-athletes are and how much adversity they have all overcome," Puetz added. "We split our practices into smaller groups, and we weren't allowed to take our usual team van to tournaments. As a coach, I had to get creative, do more Zoom meetings, a lot more 1-on-1 meetings, and adjust what we do at practice. These guys are doing well in the classroom, and I'll never forget this year and its ability to adapt and overcome whatever was thrown their way."
The team has played more holes in preparation for the event, which, just like regionals, is a four-round event.
"The more rounds we play, the better it is for us. Our guys are consistent, so the more holes we play, the more we can show why we've seen success this spring," Puetz said. "72 holes can feel like a marathon, so we constantly talk about staying in the present and letting our rounds come to us. Of course, playing in the National Championships will magnify our emotions, but I know how strong our guys are, and we look forward to the challenge."
In the end, Coach Puetz and the Cougars are grateful for the opportunity to defend their title.
"We want to give a huge shoutout to the SMCC Athletic Director, Todd Eastin, for being our voice in returning to play," Puetz concluded. "With so many rounds in a short period, our athletic trainer Rick Wade has been vital in keeping us healthy. The Legacy Golf Resort has been so accommodating in allowing us to use their facilities to prepare to play at a high level. Finally, we want to give a big thank you to the Maricopa County Community College District for putting in place the guidelines for us to return to play safely."