WHEELING, W. Va. -- The Trine University men's golf team begins competition today, Tuesday, May 11 at the 2021 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship at Oglebay, in Wheeling, W. Va.
This year marks the first time the Thunder have qualified for the event and they enter it ranked fourth in the Great Lakes Region. The team earned their place by claiming their second straight Michigan Intercollegiate Atheltic Association (MIAA) team championship. Trine finished the regular season with a 46 stroke lead over the second-place finisher.
Representing the Thunder will be seniors Carlos Coeto (Bernardo, Mexico), Cameron Ruge (Coldwater, Mich. / Coldwater) and Todd Mieske (Owosso, Mich. / Owosso) along with sophomore Mitch Lowney (Fenton, Mich. / Clarkston Everest) and freshman Mark Civanich (Valparaiso, Ind. / Valparaiso). All five represented Trine on an All-MIAA team, with Ruge and Civanich taking first-team honors and the rest coming in on the second-team.
The team and individual champions will be determined after 72 holes of play or the conclusion of the last fully completed round. Thirty-seven teams and six individuals not on one of those teams will be selected to participate in the championships. After 36 holes of competition, the field will be cut to the top 18 teams and top six individuals not on one of those teams.
A total of 191 participants will compete at the 2021 championships. Thirty conferences were awarded an automatic qualification for the championships. Four teams were selected from Pool B, which consists of independent institutions and institutions that are members of conferences that do not meet the requirements for automatic qualification. The final three berths were reserved for Pool C, which are institutions from automatic-qualifying conferences that are not the conference champion and any remaining Pool B teams. The six individuals are selected from the remaining players who have not qualified with a team.
Live scoring will be provided throughout the week.