In
capturing the first Northeast Conference (NEC) Men's Golf Championship in program history, the Seahawks earned an automatic bid to their first-ever NCAA Regionals appearance where the low five teams and the low individual not on those teams at the end of the 54-hole competition from each of the six Regions now advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, OR.
The top-five finishers in the University of New Mexico region were Arizona State, the University of South Florida, USC, TCU and San Diego State while the individual who qualified to move on to Eugene was Cameron Champ of Texas A&M.
The competition at the NCAA Regionals was stiff and featured talents such as Jon Rahm of Arizona State, who is the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world, and 2014 U.S. Amateur champion Gunn Yang of San Diego State.
It's not a stretch to suggest that each of the six regions included its share of future PGA tour players.
While the Seahawks were in the midst of competing at the NCAA Regionals, it was announced that that three members of the program were recognized by the NEC in a vote of the league's head coaches, as
Christopher Fourman was tabbed Coach of the Year, while freshman
Lucas Moreno earned Rookie of the Year, as well as a spot on the All-NEC Second Team, alongside teammates
Anton Frondelius and
Erik Tedfelt,
This marked the first time that Wagner men's golf has taken home two of the three NEC individual honors (Bryant's McKinley Slade is Golfer of the Year), while the five honorees in total are also a program record.
Wagner finished 14th in the NCAA Regionals with Moreno leading the way with a tie for 53th finish. Frondelius and Kraus finished in a tie for 67th, Tedfelt was 71st while McKiernan was tied for 73rd.
Moreno's opening-round 74, which featured a one-under par 35 on the front nine, was the low round of the week for the Seahawks while Tedfelt opened with a solid 76. A highlight for Wagner came during Wednesday's final round when McKiernan recorded an eagle three on the 579-yard, par-five 14th hole which helped him fire a fine 37 over the final nine holes of his Wagner career, en route to shooting 79.
"To compete in the NCAA Regionals was just a tremendous experience for our guys," said Fourman. "We were humbled by the course and conditions as many teams were. I am enthused that we are returning Anton, Lucas, and Erik and I expect them to use this week as a build-in to their summer schedules and as motivation for next year."