SMCC Men's Golf Set to Defend Division II National Championship
PHOENIX ---
The South Mountain Community College men's golf team will travel to Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, Ind., to compete in the NJCAA Division II National Championships from May 23-26. The Cougars, who have won eight NJCAA Division II National Championships in program history, including the 2022 title, have won all seven of their spring tournaments, and sophomore Damon Vilkauskas has won four-straight events.
The Cougars won the NJCAA Region I Division II Championships at Corte Bella Golf Course, finishing at +1 (1,137) over the four days to defeat second-place Glendale CC by 25 strokes. SMCC also won events hosted by Chandler-Gilbert CC, Mesa CC, Pima CC, Paradise Valley CC, Eastern Arizona and Estrella Mountain. For their accomplishments, SMCC enters the NJCAA Division II National Championships ranked No. 1 in the Bushnell/Golfweek NJCAA Div. II Coaches Poll.
"We are ready to play. We accomplished our first goal of winning regionals, and now we have our eyes set on the next goal." said first-year head coach Brady Edwards. "We are going to have a lot of fun preparing for nationals and need to commit to every shot."
Vilkauskas has won his last four tournaments. He claimed individual medalist honors at the NJCAA Region I Division II Championships with a final score of -10 (274). After a challenging 74 to start the tournament, he quickly rebounded with rounds of 68, 65 (tournament low) and 67 to win by 10 strokes. He posted five birdies and one bogey over his final 18 holes.
He also won Estrella Mountain Invitational (-9, 133), the Eastern Arizona Invitational (-6, 138) and PVCC Invitational (-7, 137). Vilkauskas was on the 2021 SMCC men's golf team that finished second at the NJCAA Division II National Championships at Swan Lake Resort. He tied for 22nd, carding a 12-over, 300 for the four rounds and earning 2021 NJCAA Division II Honorable Mention All-American honors.
Fellow sophomores Ethan Klose and Zachary Erskine have had strong spring seasons, claiming individual medalist honors during the campaign. Klose won the Mesa Thunderbird Invitational (-5, 139) and also posted four other top-10 finishes. He finished 6th at the 2022 NJCAA DII National Championships (+6, 294) to earn NJCAA First Team and PING Second Team All-American honors.
Erskine tied for first at the CGCC Invitational (-8, 134) and posted a top-10 finish at the six other spring tournaments. He placed second at the Mesa Thunderbird Invitational (-1, 143) and tied for second at the Estrella Mountain Invite (-5, 137). He tied for 29th at +16 (304) at the 2022 NJCAA DII National Championships.
Freshmen Ryan Blair and Cole Finch have performed well in their first season. Finch tied for fourth at the Region I Championships (+4, 288) and recorded two other top-10 finishes. Blair was fifth at the CGCC Invitational (-4, 138) and tied for seventh at the Eastern Arizona Invite (+1, 145). Freshman Brady Clark has played in five spring tournaments and tied for fourth at the Mesa Thunderbird Invitational (+1, 145).
In addition to 2022, SMCC previously won the NJCAA Division II National Championships in 2004, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2019.
