CCU golfer earns spot in Division II National Championship
SUBMITTED BY: Aimee Davison, Sports Information Director, Colorado Christian University
LAKEWOOD - After three days of intense play, Colorado Christian University men’s golf team finished tenth among a field of 80 in the NCAA Division-II Regional Tournament at the Classic Club near Palm Springs, Calif. this week.
Jon Klingensmith
And, in a first for CCU, junior Jon Klingensmith placed seventh overall, earning him an individual men’s spot at the upcoming D-II National Championship to take place May 18-21 in Noblesville, Ind.
The regional tournament capped a strong year of continued growth for the men’s golf program at CCU. Last fall, during the first half of the team’s 2009-10 season, Klingensmith captured the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) individual national title. Then on April 23, the NCAA announced the team and individual selections for its postseason regional tournament. For the third straight year, CCU was named.
On May 4, at the end of day two at the Classic Club, Klingensmith led for CCU with a 145 stroke total, five short of the tournament-best score. The next day, strong play from each of his teammates during the final round helped shave an additional nine strokes off their team total. But against stellar play by the competition, it wasn’t CCU’s day to land one of the top-five team scores required to send them to play in the national championships. CCU finished with a 901 total, with Klingensmith’s individual total at 219.
“I am very proud of our team,” men’s head coach Mark Hull said, as his team headed into the regional tournament. “We have now experienced the NCAA postseason two times. …We feel we have the talent this year, and if we were to string together three of our best rounds, we could make a serious run at a top-five finish at Super Regionals.”
Although the men’s team will not head to Indiana this year as they had hoped, their consistently strong results these last three seasons—accented with Klingensmith’s historic accomplishment—offer a promising outlook for CCU golf.
CCU is the only member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities located in the Rocky Mountains and is minutes from Denver. The University is a Division-II NCAA member and a Division-I member of the National Christian College Athletic Association. More than 3,500 traditional, adult, and graduate students enroll annually at the main campus, in online programs, and at centers throughout Colorado, choosing from 48 degree-granting programs and various licensure options.
In the past decade, CCU has established numerous campus-based ministries serving the Denver metro area, and has sent over 100 short-term missionary teams throughout the United States and to more than 36 countries.
