Sports
Moraine Valley golf finishes season at regionals
After three days, the Moraine Valley golf team finished their first spring NJCAA Region 4 Tournament and their season.
After three days, the Moraine Valley Community College golf team finished their first spring NJCAA Region 4 Tournament (April 28-30) in ninth place with one golfer taking a spot in the top 20.
Competing this time of year is unusual for the Cyclones, and they were a little rusty in April. They competed in two invites before regionals and stayed consistent each day with a different golfer leading the team each round.
The first day of competition was windy, but the rain stayed away from the PrairieView Golf Club in Byron, Illinois. Sophomore Ben King (Lincoln-Way Central) led the way with an 82 followed by freshman Kyle Kuchel (Sandburg) with 84, sophomores Dan Davila (Argo) with 87 and David Prim (Oak Forest) with 94, and freshman Joey O’Brien (Lincoln-Way West) with 100.
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Kuchel came out the next day with one of the lower scores – 79. Coming in after him was Davila (84), King (88), Prim (94) and freshman Ryan Flynders (Hinsdale South) with 94. The final round saw Davila lead the team with 79. Coming in after him was Kuchel (82), King (86), O’Brien (86) and Prim (87). Kuchel’s total score placed him 20th in the region, narrowly missing All-Region honors.
“The guys did great. Our team score improved each day, which is really all I can ask for – do better today than you did yesterday. They did that,” said Head Coach Matt Lovelace, who culminated his eighth season leading the program. “We were rusty coming out of winter. With a few more events, I think we could have done even better. Overall, for the first spring golf season ever, it went pretty well.”
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This is the first time golf has competed in spring, which was a change made by the region. The Cyclones finished their regular season in October, taking third place in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference. King, Kuchel and Davila each missed All-Conference honors by less than 2.5 strokes with the sophomores playing some of their best golf at season’s end.
Although the Cyclones will say goodbye to their three sophomores, they have several returners and some recruits that should continue to lead the program.
For updates on Cyclones Athletics, visit mvcyclones.com.
