by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
The only two-year college in the field, Kansas City Kansas Community College ran into a bevy of strong four-year colleges and universities and had to settle for seventh place in the Ottawa University Spring Invitational Monday and Tuesday.
With the three leading medalists and four of the low six scores in the 13-team field, Park University finished 35 strokes in front of runnerup Sterling College with a 573 total in the tourney played in cold and breezy conditions at Eagle Bend Golf Course in Lawrence.
Trailing Park were Sterling, 608; Ottawa, 611; Northwestern (Iowa), 612; Kansas Wesleyan, 614; Missouri Valley, 618; and KCKCC, 629. Bethel College, York College, Southwestern, Haskell Indian Nation and B teams from Ottawa and Kansas Wesleyan trailed KCKCC.
Sophomore Micah Morris led KCKCC, tying for eighth place for a 73-77-150 total. Bobby Armstrong (75-81-157) and Zach Miller (77-80-157) tied for 26th; Trevor Bauer (82-83-165) tied for 44th; and Harry Welsh (87-83-170) placed 54th to round out the Blue Devil scoring.
Wes Butenbach led Park’s sweep of the low three finishers with a 4-under par 139. Yannick Koehnen was second (142) and Nate Ruan third (144) with Ryan Tattan (148) tying for fifth.