OTTAWA LAKE, Mich. – The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Championship rounds concluded on Saturday at The Legacy Golf Club. The Trine University men's golf team was fourth in the two-round event, but placed third in the league standings with an average score of 305 as a team over the six conference rounds.
Hope College were the team champions after winning both the first and second rounds at the MIAA Championships. They receive the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Championships. The Thunder shot a 635 (310-325) after struggling in the final regular season round of golf.
Three members of the team were recognized by the MIAA for their efforts on and off the course. Senior Mark Civanich earned First Team All-MIAA honors for the fourth consecutive season. Sophomore Carter Schnipke and senior Charlie Eriksen were tabbed as Second Team All-MIAA honorees, the first all-conference award for each player. Eriksen was also selected as the league's Sportsmanship Award winner, a very prestigious honor given to one MIAA men's golfer each season.
"I am very honored to win the MIAA Sportsmanship Award," Eriksen mentioned after his round. "I was not always the best golfer at every tournament, but I always tried to be a good person. I am so thankful for the relationships I made with the players and coaches across the MIAA!"
Civanich was in the running for the MIAA MVP award and led the team with three birdies in his Saturday round, but struggles on the 12th and 17th holes hindered his score. A birdie on the final hole on the course was not enough to catch Liam Casey from Hope, who beat him by one stroke in the conference leaderboard. Civanich tied for 19th with a two-day score of 160 (77-83).
Eriksen was the highest finisher in the event for Trine in a tie for 11th at 157 (78-79). He had a pair of birdies on the back nine to help him enter into a tie for 12th in the conference standings to nab Second Team. Schnipke had two back nine birdies as well en route to a scorecard of 158 (80-78) to tie for 15th at the event. In the conference season, the sophomore averaged 76.83 to be named to the Second Team as well.
Junior Kyler Rod and sophomore Asher Caldwell concluded the team members for the Thunder. Rod tied for 19th in the two-day tournament at 160 (75-85) while Caldwell shot a 166 (80-86) to finish tied for 34th. Each of them tallied one birdie. Junior Wade Shafer was an individual scorer at the MIAA Championships and impressed with a score of 158 (79-79) to tie for 15th.
