Willamette Finishes 18th and Kibbee Ties for 28th at NCAA Golf Championship
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. -- Willamette University finished in 18th place and Andrew Kibbee (Grad., Kenmore, WA/Bothell HS) completed the 72 holes in a tie for 28th out of 221 competitors at the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship, as the tournament concluded on Friday, May 19 at the Keene Trace Golf Club. The final round was held on the Champion Trace Golf Course.
The Bearcats earned an overall score of 1,206 (294-294-316-302). Kibbee led Willamette by carding a score of 5-over par 293 (71-73-78-71).
Kibbee's 1-under par 71 topped the Bearcats' scores on Friday. Alex Weirth (Sr., Port Orchard, WA/Crosspoint Academy) shot a 75, while Brock Olson (Fy., Kirkland, WA/Lake Washington HS) and Oliver Smith (Fy., San Jose, CA/Pioneer HS) each carded a 78. Riley Lankford (Grad., Pilot Rock, OR/Pilot Rock HS) registered a 79.
Olson finished in a tie for 78th overall with a four-day score of 305. He shot 75-75-77-78. Weirth tied for 83rd with a score of 308 with rounds of 74-80-79-75. Lankford tied for 86th at 309 as he carded 74-72-84-79. Smith shot 319 for the tournament with scores of 85-74-82-78.
The NCAA team championship was claimed by Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.), which finished the final round with an overall score of 1-under par 1,151 after shooting 292-285-295-279. CMU's 9-under par 279 on Friday was the low team round of the tournament. Piedmont University (Ga.) was second at 5-over par 1,157 with scores of 289-284-295-289.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) and Methodist University (N.C.) tied for third place at 1,158. CMS shot 296-285-294-283, while Methodist carded 288-285-291-294. St. John's University (Minn.) was fifth with a score of 1,160 (284-293-294-289). Christopher Newport University (Va.) held sixth place at 1,161 (286-291-297-287) and Guilford College (N.C.) was seventh at 1,154 (297-283-298-286).
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (N.Y). finished eighth with a score of 1,166. RPI shot 290-288-292-296. Two teams tied for ninth place with scores of 1,173. The tie included Illinois Wesleyan University with rounds of 285-295-305-288 and Washington & Lee University (Va.) with rounds of 307-287-292-287).
Josh Hebrink from Piedmont won the individual title by one stroke with an overall score of 7-under par 281. He surged up from seventh place after three rounds by earning the tournament's overall low round of 66 on Friday. Alex Price of Christopher Newport moved up five spots into a tie for second place at 6-under par 282 after shooting a 67 in the final round. Robb Kinder of CNU, who led the tournament after three rounds, carded a 71 on Friday and tied with Price for second place at 282.
Max Pettersson of Averett University (Va.) and Sam Davidson of Guilford tied for fourth place at 282. Pettersson shot 74-71-69-69 while Davidson shot 73-69-72-69. Bobby Beaubien from Illinois Wesleyan was sixth at 284 (67-73-72-72), Cameron Cappuzzo of Methodist was seventh at 285 (71-71-70-73), and Sam Berger from St. John's was eighth at 286 (68-72-77-69). Five golfers tied for ninth place at 287.
The tournament began with 43 teams and six individual golfers for a total of 221 competitors. After two rounds, the field was reduced to 18 teams and six individuals who were not included on the advancing teams.