Seahawks finish 3rd at home tournament

The University of North Carolina Wilmington men's golf team finished in third place at the first annual Seahawk Intercollegiate Feb. 28 through March 2. The tournament was held at the Country Club of Landfall. The Seahawks were joined by Augusta State, Davidson, Drexel, East Carolina, Georgia State, James Madison, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia Commonwealth, William & Mary, and Wake Forest.

The tournament had seven teams ranked in the top 100 in the nation. The two top-ranked teams were Augusta State ranked as sixth, and South Carolina ranked seventh. Other ranked teams included Wake Forest, North Carolina, VCU, UNCW, and East Carolina. Augusta State won the event, South Carolina finishing second, one stroke ahead of the Seahawks.

Men's golf coach Matt Clark set up the event and, other than the rain out Tuesday, March 2, the tournament was a success. "The hardest part about setting up the tournament is predicting the weather in Wilmington during the winter," Clark said. There were many challenges in tournament set-up, and the length of the Country Club of Landfall left many options open. "I need to make sure the course is set-up so it is playable and, with the unpredictable weather, I have had to come up with several set-ups for the golf course," said Clark.

This was the first event of the spring season for the Seahawks and an enormous opportunity for them to play against solid competition. "My guys have been working extremely hard, and I believe we are ready to start the spring season. They are very comfortable here at Country Club of Landfall so I would imagine that will show up in their performance this week," said Clark.

The Seahawk golf team is led by senior Derek Wallace and junior Josh Brock, and each played very well in the fall season. Wallace carried a 72.8 scoring average into the Seahawk Intercollegiate and finished strong. Wallace finished eleventh with two rounds of 73 on the Pete Dye-designed course. There was some stiff competition for the six-man team. "There are some good teams here this year. We have already beat Wake Forest in the fall, and we feel confident we can win this tournament," said Wallace.

Wallace has been battling neck and back injuries this year, but he was able to pull it all together for two strong rounds. Even though he could not break 70, his two rounds were impressive considering the rainy and windy conditions.

Josh Brock finished third in the Seahawk Intercollegiate with rounds of 70 and 71. Brock represented the Seahawks well and with one more day, he might have been able to win the event. "I hope we can win or at least make top 5 individually at our home event." Brock said.

The Seahawks had a tough time getting the putts to fall, and that is what separated them from the eventual winner Augusta State. In the cold, windy conditions controlling iron distance was tough from the rough and fairway.

The Seahawk Intercollegiate is a great springboard for the rest of the Seahawks regular season. "We need to play consistent week in and week out and win a few tournaments. We would love to win a CAA Championship and contend for a NCAA Championship, but we have to grow closer on and off the course," said Brock.

"Our expectations for this season are to continue to prove we are a good team by steady play and top place finishes," teammate Derrick Wallace added.

The expectations are very high for this team, and coach Clark echoes what the two top players had to say. "Our goals as a team this year is to win the CAA Championship and to be the first golf team to make it to the NCAA Finals," said Clark. The Seahawk Intercollegiate gave them this opportunity and, with a third place finish, they did not disappoint.