Plymouth, Ind. – Since qualifying for Nationals at the Region 24 Tournament on May 29th, the 10th ranked Illinois Central College men's golf team has been busy practicing while finishing up the spring semester academically. And finally, after a near two and a half week wait, the Cougars have their practice times and basic itinerary so anticipation is ramping up.
With a second place finish at the Region Tourney, ICC secured their bid to Nationals, which takes place May 19-23. They'll be at a familiar course---Swan Lake----where the team played last September and finished 6th out of 19 teams. The sophomores also played at Swan Lake last spring at Nationals where they finished as National runners-up.
This will be the golf team's fourth consecutive trip to the Big Dance under fourth-year head coach Sean Kennedy. The Cougars have thrived under his leadership, as evidenced by this season's record of 124-26-1 (according to Scoreboard), marking the second consecutive year ICC has led the NJCAA in wins.
Because of the talented roster, Kennedy dotted the Cougars' schedule with several big tests to which they responded in terrific fashion. The team claimed a total of seven tournament titles---four in the spring (Ron Marshall Spring Fling, Cardinal 36, Cougar Spring Preview, and the Melee in Morris) and three in the fall (Highland 36, Rend Lake Warrior Fall Classic, and the Sauk Valley SkyHawk Fall Invite).
ICC will look to carry their momentum to the finish line at Nationals.
The squad is led by sophomore All-American Trey Boecker (Grant Park, IL/Grant Park HS), one of the most prolific players in program history. Boecker, the #1 ranked player in the NJCAA and a two-time All-Region 24 pick, is fresh off the Individual Medalist Title at the Region 24 Championship. He also took Individual Medalist honors at the M-WAC Championship back in October. His experience at Nationals will be invaluable, as he finished 3rd individually as a freshman last May.
Boecker also knows the Swan Lake course well, having finished as the individual medalist runner-up at the NJCAA National Preview in early September with a seven-under par 209.
In addition to Boecker, freshman Connor Watson (East Peoria, IL/East Peoria HS) named to the five-member All-Region 24 team for his efforts this spring. Watson, along with sophomore Brooks Cluver (Clinton IL / Clinton HS) have also claimed individual medalist honors this season as well.
Kennedy's squad will leave East Peoria early on Sunday morning, with their practice rounds Sunday & Monday. The 72-hole National Championship begins Tuesday, May 19th.
Cougar lineup:
1. Trey Boecker
2. Connor Watson
3. Brooks Cluver
4. Drake Kaufman
5. Logan Smith
Sub - Alex Kuykendall
Individual scoring | https://scoreboard.clippd.com/tournaments/244655/scoring/participants
Tee times | https://scoreboard.clippd.com/tournaments/244655/scoring/tee-times
Team scoring | https://scoreboard.clippd.com/tournaments/244655/scoring/team
