Season Review: MSUB Men’s Golf

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Tuesday, May 16, 2017 Season Review: MSUB Men’s Golf

The Yellowjacket men’s golf team posts the second-lowest season scoring average in program history, averaging 299.0 strokes per round in a 2016-17 season balanced between underclassmen and upperclassmen.

BILLINGS, Mont. – Perhaps the biggest strong suit for the 2016-17 Montana State University Billings men’s golf team was the inability to differentiate between upperclassmen and underclassmen in terms of contribution towards the secondlowest season scoring average in school history.

The Yellowjackets averaged 299.0 strokes per round to rank fifth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference this year, and were just 1.3 strokes away from the school record of 297.7 strokes per round set during the 2014-15 season.

MSUB was paced by the steady leadership of senior veterans Michael Porter and Connor Miele, while given a significant boost by the exceptional play of freshmen Caleb Stetzner and Garrett Woodin.

MSUB Men’s Golf Team Season Scoring Records Rk. Season Scoring Average 1.

2014-15 297.7 2.

2016-17 299.0 3.

2011-12 299.8 4.

2004-05 300.3 5.

2013-14 301.1 Highlights along the way included a school record for single-round score, as the Yellowjackets combined for a mark of 269 on Oct. 2, 2016 at Peter Yegen Golf Club at the Rocky Mountain College Fall Invitational. With five players turning in scorecards of sub-70 after the round, the ‘Jackets topped the school record of 271 established in 2008-09 and matched in 2012-13. The team’s three-round total of 839 at the event was just five strokes short of the school record of 834, set at the same tournament during the 2008-09 year.

MSUB Men’s Golf Team Single-Round Score Records Rk. Event Score Season 1. RMC Fall Invite 269 2016-17 2. RMC Invite 271 2008-09 MSUB Triangular 271 2012-13 4. RMC Invite 278 2013-14 5. RMC Invite 280 2008-09 Oredigger Invite 280 2012-13

Caleb Stetzner was picked as the GNAC Freshman of the Year and earned second-team all-league honors after a phenomenal debut college season.

Stetzner stole headlines all season long, and claimed GNAC Freshman of the Year honors in his first season as a ‘Jacket. The Anaconda, Mont., native led the team and ranked fifth in the league with a scoring average of 73.7 strokes per round, which was less than a full stroke behind the MSUB single-season record of 73.0 strokes held by Jake Hedge in 2014-15.

Stetzner scored no worse than a 79 in a single round on the season, and led the team with six rounds at par or better.

The second-team all-league pick’s best round of the year came during the squad’s record-breaking performance at the RMC Invite, when he fired a 67 en route to a season-low three-round total of 209 (67-72-70).

MSUB Men’s Golf Single-Season Individual Scoring Records Rk. Name Score Season 1. Jake Hedge 73.00 2014-15 2. Caleb Stetzner 73.69 2016-17 3. Nicholas Larson 73.95 2005-06 4. Gage Huft 74.10 2012-13 5. Eric Gravbrot 74.40 2011-12 6. Gage Huft 74.45 2014-15 7. Chris McConnell 74.52 2004-05 8. Michael Porter 74.57 2015-16 9. Michael Porter 74.62 2016-17 10. Gage Huft 74.70 2013-14

Posting a similarly consistent individual season was Porter, who had just one round above 79 while competing in all nine events and 26 rounds in his final college season. Porter was second on the team and No. 12 in the GNAC with a scoring average of 74.6 strokes per round. He was within a half stroke of his 74.57 average during the 2015-16 season, and posted the ninth-lowest mark in Yellowjacket single-season history.

The Coeur d’Alene, Idaho native’s senior campaign included a personal career-best three-round score of 212 (69-72-71) at the RMC Invite, and the top finish for the ‘Jackets at the conference tournament with a score of 223 (73-74-76) for 12th place.

Also completing his career this season was Miele, who had the best individual performance of the year at the RMC Invite. Starting off with back-to-back personal season-low rounds of 68, Miele finished with a 70 to shoot a 7-under-par 206 and finish in second place. Miele came within a single stroke of the school three-round record, and posted one of just nine three-round scores below the 210 mark in program history.

MSUB Men’s Golf Three-Round Individual Scoring Records Rk. Name Score Event 1. Nicholas Larson 205 RMC Invite 2. Jake Harr 206 RMC Invite Connor Miele 206 RMC Invite 4. Gage Huft 207 SMU Invite 5. Nicholas Larson 208 Kickingbird Classic

Season 2005-06 2008-09 2016-17 2012-13 2005-06

Senior Michael Porter finished his career No. 2 on the team with a scoring average of 74.62 strokes per round this year.

In addition to Miele’s success on the course – he was the team’s top finisher in two events – he earned academic allconference accolades for the second straight season. He earned GNAC Golfer of the Week honors after his big performance in Billings in the fall.

Finishing a solid freshman campaign strong, Woodin shot no worse than an 80 starting with his first event of the spring in February. He fired a season-best round of 68 at the Western New Mexico University Invite on March 4, which led to his personal best three-round total of 215 (75-72-68). Woodin made par or better in five rounds, while competing in all 26 and recording one top-5 finish as a true freshman.

Contributing in 23 rounds as a sophomore this season, Austin Walter finished fifth on the team with a scoring average of 77.0. The Billings native had the best single round on the team this year, as his 65 set the tone during MSUB’s recordbreaking day at the RMC Invite. Walter tied for the third-lowest single-round score in school history, and was just one stroke off the record jointly held by Gage Huft and Eric Gravbrot.

The sophomore’s three-round total of 218 (65-75-78) at the event was a personal career best.

Fellow sophomore Scott Larson also saw action in his second year in the program. Larson competed in five events and played in 15 total rounds, averaging 80.8 strokes per round. His season best was a single-round score of 74 at the RMC Invite, which led to a personal career best three-round total of 226 (75-77-74).

The ‘Jackets ended the year in sixth place at the 2017 GNAC Championships, compiling a three-round team score of 906 (297-309-300). Team victories after the record-setting round in the fall, and again during the spring at the Yellowjacket Spring Invitational, stood as the top overall finishes throughout the year.

--@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--