MOUNT PLEASANT, MICH. -- The Trine University men's golf team claimed its second straight Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association team championship following the final conference event of the season in the Alma (Mich.) College Invitational hosted at the Pohlcat Golf Club in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Trine finished second overall for the one-day tournament with a team-total of 309 strokes, four strokes back of Kalamazoo (Mich.) College who posted an overall score of 305 strokes to win the event. Hope (Mich.) College was third with 311 strokes.
Overall, Trine finished with a cumulative score of 1,779 strokes over six MIAA sponsored events to win the conference championship by 46 strokes ahead of second place.
Individually for the Thunder at the Alma Invite, senior Cameron Ruge (Coldwater, Mich./Coldwater) led the way with an 18-hole total of 74 strokes and tied for third overall. Freshman Mark Civanich (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) was second on the team with a round of 75 strokes and placed in a tie for sixth among the field.
Sophomore Mitch Lowney (Fenton, Mich./Clarkston Everest) finished in the top-15 with a single-round total of 79 strokes and was followed by senior Todd Mieske (Owosso, Mich./Owosso) who carded a round of 81 strokes.
Senior Carlos Coeto (Bernardo, Mexico) rounded out the field for the Thunder in the overall team eligible scores by navigating the course in a total of 88 strokes.
Trine also had a pair of players compete as individuals in freshman Jack Brockie (Jackson, Mich./Hanover Horton) and senior Zach Frane (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb). Brockie ended the day with a round of 77 strokes and tied for 10th overall, while Frane shot a round of 86 strokes.
Following the conclusion of the tournament, Trine had a host of players earn All-MIAA honors, including a pair of first-team recipients in Civanich and Ruge. In addition, Brockie, Coeto, Lowney and Mieske were all tabbed second-team All-MIAA.
Trine earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament that begins on May 11 at Oglebay Resort & Conference Center in Wheeling, W.Va. The field for the tournament will be officially announced on May 3.