DRAGON GOLFERS FINISH 5TH AT NJCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

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Hutchinson CC Sports Information

NEWTON – While it wasn't quite the history it was going for, the Hutchinson Community College men's golf team did achieve a program first on Friday at the NJCAA Division I National Championships.

For the first time since the program started in 1964, the Blue Dragons achieved a third-straight national Top 5 finish after finishing fifth in the 2023 Championships, which wrapped up on Friday at Sand Creek Station.

Alex Lindstrom's short birdie put on No. 18 finished off a sometimes-tough week for the Blue Dragons, who were looking for the NJCAA's first team national championship three-peat since Central Alabama from 1999 to 2001.

Hutchinson closed the championship with a final-round 5-over 293 on Friday and finished fifth with a 72-hole total of 1,161 (+9). The Blue Dragons finished five strokes better than sixth-place Wallace State.

The Dragons' 1,161 team total with the fifth-lowest national tournament score posted in program history on a Par-72 course and it's the best score in three national tournament appearances at Sand Creek Station – the others were in 2011 and 2015.

No Blue Dragon played under par on Friday. The Dragons counted scores from Lindstrom, Dominic Clemons and Marco Anderson – all three players shot 1-over 73s – and a 74 from Blake Saffell.

Hutchinson didn't have an individual player finish in the Top 20.

Lindstrom (69-78-70-73) tied for 24th place with a 2-over 290. The 2023 Phil Mickelson NJCAA National Freshman of the Year had two birdies and three bogeys in his final round on Friday.

Clemons and freshman Louis Galvin tied for 34th at 3-over 291 on Friday.

Clemons (76-71-73-73) also had two birdies and three bogeys, finishing the final round with four-straight pars.

Galvin (73-72-72-76) had four bogeys and 14 pars on Friday in his final-round 76.

Saffell (74-73-73-74) had two birdies and four bogeys. Saffell tied for 39th at 294.

Anderson (73-75-78-73) tied his tournament low round on Friday with two early birdies and three bogeys. Anderson tied for 60th at 299.

Indian Hills dominated the team championship chase, defeating Odessa by 11 strokes to claim the team championship. Indian Hills' Jose Ramirez as the individual champion at 12-under 276, winning the national championship by two strokes over Odessa's Laurenz Kubin.

The Blue Dragons were the highest-placing Region VI Team in the Championship. Dodge City tied for 10th (1,182) and Garden City was 15th (1,191). Garden City's Anthony DeSchutter was the highest-finishing Region VI player, tying for fifth place at 283.