The Augustana’s men’s golf team came away with a fifth place finish in the CCIW Preview on Wednesday, Sept. 25. In the previous tournament, the Clarke Fall Classic, they placed third out of 14 teams.
Senior Alex Sierra led the way in the CCIW Preview, shooting a four over par (75) which was good for an overall second place.
Sophomores Dylan Flock and Jack Neenan also put together solid rounds, both shooting 85, which tied them for 24th overall across the tournament.
With the season having its up-and-downs, the men’s team is looking to build on the success they’ve had and continue that play for the rest of the season. They contribute their success to how close they all are as a team.
“I think the main attribute that is helping with the success this season is our team chemistry. This is one of the closest, if not the closest, teams I have been on in my four years,” Sierra said.
Neenan had similar things to say about their team.
“We have a very tight-knit group of teammates that play and practice together every week, and we always push each other to do well,” Neenan said.
The team has really started to come together in the latter part of the season, after the first two finishes coming near the end of the pack. In the three tournaments after the first two, they have placed third once and fifth twice.
Even with improvement, they aren’t satisfied.
“Our team has struggled with consistency this fall, which is something we are all looking to improve upon. And it starts with individual practice,” Neenan said.
Sierra talked about some of the struggles they’ve had as a team and the steps they need to take to prepare for the end of this season and the fall season.
“I think the biggest struggles so far as a team is some guys stepping into roles they have never been in. Whether that is ranging from younger guys stepping into main roles or two of our top five having limited varsity experience: just having that learning curve time has been an adjustment, but we will be prepared by the spring season,” Sierra said.
With the team working on these improvements, they have high expectations for themselves.
“I want to be able to contend in the last few tournaments this season, and I want to help the team get a win. We have our home tournament later this fall, and we are starting to focus in on that,” Neenan said.
Sierra also said that the team’s focus is on the rest of their fall season.
“Some expectations I have for the team this fall is to just play some solid tournaments,” Sierra said. “We have a very new and younger top 5 then years past. Just getting some tournaments under their belt will prepare them for the spring.”
With these improvements and expectations in mind, the men’s team looks to head into their last tournament of the fall season on a high note. The Viking Fall Shootout in East Moline, Illinois, will conclude their fall season on Monday, Oct. 15.