Written by: Zachary Worstell (zdw001@marietta.edu)
The Pioneer’s men’s golf team found themselves in the winner’s circle this season and were able to clinch their best OAC championship finish in the past three years. Some clutch putting throughout the full entire roster helped the Pios win the one Invitational and finish runner up in multiple others.
Marietta started the spring season on their own par-70 green as they hosted the Pioneer Classic against seven other teams. The event lasted two days and in the first day the Pioneers held the lead, however Washington & Jefferson jumped ahead by four strokes to take home the team title with a two-round score of 594 (309-285). Marietta finished in second with a total of 598 (297-301). Zach Huscusson led the team with a second-place finish at 145 two strokes ahead of Marietta’s Hunter Wilson who placed in third.
The second invitational of the season was much larger as 15 teams fielded the green at Grove City. Marietta finished an overall fourth with a final one round total of 307 (+27 par). Westminster placed in first with a total of 303, and Grove City and Pitt-Greensburg tied for second at 306. Huscusson tied for first with Grove City’s Luke Gronbeck and Kelson McCurdy who played individually for Marietta with a score of 73.
Marietta’s first taste of OAC competition this year came at the Muskingum Invitational on March 30th-31st. Marietta finished third of eight with a two-round score of 599 (299-300). Ahead of the Pioneers were both of Otterbein’s teams finishing with 589 and 595. Jaekob Conard led the team with an individual score of 147 which was eighth among the 48 competitors.
The Pioneers won their first team title of the season at the ONU Jimmy Hanlin Collegiate Invitational over nine other teams. Marietta scored 296 at the par-71 StoneWater Golf Club and 300 at the par-70 Little Mountain Country Club for a total of 596. Andrew Korner tied for first for Etta with a score of 147. Huscusson and Wilson tied for fourth with a score of 148.
The OAC Spring Preview at the River Greens Golf Course did not fair as well as Marietta finished sixth of eleven. On the par-72 course Marietta finished with 301 (+13 par). Korner led the team at +1 par while Huscusson was right behind at +2 par.
At the Wooster Country Club the men finished third of the fourteen teams in attendance only falling behind Otterbein and Wooster. Korner led the team again with +8 par resulting in an 8th place individual finish. Marietta finished with a total of 623, two strokes higher than the 2nd place Wooster team.
Marietta visited one last course before the OAC championship tournament, that being Otterbein’s NorthStar Golf Club. At the Otterbein Cardinal Classic, the Pioneers finished 2nd overall with a total of 317 (+29 par). Otterbein finished first of ten with a total of 301 (+13 par). Mason Reville and Hunter Wilson led the team at +6 par which tied for sixth overall. Korner tied for 12th at +8 par and McCurdy was one more over finishing 17th.
The OAC championship tournament took place over three days and featured nine teams one for each school. At the end of the first day Marietta was sixth, however by the final day the Pioneers dropped to seventh. Marietta finished with scores of 307, 306, and 305 for a total of of 918 (+62 par). Huscusson led the team with +9 par for a tenth individual overall performance.
John Carroll won the OAC championship with a score of 884 (+28 par) and Blue Streak Michael Keefe won the individual title at +1 par.
Conrad is the only senior on the team, while the rest of the roster will return next season and hope to bring home more invitiational trophies through the leadership of coach’s Tom Arison and Callie Arison.
