LINCOLN, Neb. – A pair of warm and sunny spring days characterized the Howl at Hill (April 14-15) tournament hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan University. Ten Bulldogs represented Concordia University Men’s Golf over the two rounds that took place at Hillcrest Country Club in Lincoln, Neb. The Bulldog ‘A’ grouping settled for fifth place out of eight squads of five. Five different institutions took part in the tournament.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s ‘A’ grouping shot 315-316–631 while led by the consistently reliable Drew D’Ercole at the top of the lineup. Meanwhile, Colin Aubuchon was the top performer for the ‘B’ squad that shot 326-330–656.
“The golf course played much tougher with the wind, especially with as firm and as fast as the greens were,” Muller said. “Our guys fought a lot harder today than they did yesterday. Our team score didn’t change much, but the conditions were definitely tougher today than they were yesterday.”
Scores were up slightly across the board on day two as stronger winds became a factor. While shooting a 76 on day two, the fifth-year collegiate competitor D’Ercole (79-76–155) climbed up 11 spots on the individual leaderboard and tied for 13th place out of 46 golfers in the field. The Papillion, Neb., native has placed inside the top 20 in eight of 10 events throughout the 2023-24 campaign. The rest of the ‘A’ grouping included Justin Webert (77-79–156; T-16th), Jake Hagerbaumer (78-79–157; 19th), Jacob Dowd (81-82–163; T-34th) and Brock Rogers (82-84–166; 44th).
The O’Fallon, Mo., native Aubuchon carded a total of 79-84–163 (T-34th) while tying for fourth best on the team overall. Next in line on the ‘B’ group were Jake Richmond (82-82–164; T-38th), Josh D’Ercole (82-82–164; T-38th), Taylor Johnson (83-82–165; 43rd) and Gavin McWhorter (85-91–176; 46th).
Iowa Western Community College groupings placed first and second, respectively, at the Howl at the Hill. Tournament host Nebraska Wesleyan placed third and Concordia College (Moorehead, Minn.) placed fourth. The other institution represented at the tournament was Northeast Community College (seventh).
Bulldogs at Howl at the Hill
TEAM:
A: 315-316–631
B: 326-330–656
T13. Drew D’Ercole: 79-76–155
T16. Justin Webert: 77-79–156
19. Jake Hagerbaumer: 78-79–157
T34. Jacob Dowd: 81-82–163
T34. Colin Aubuchon: 79-84–163
T38. Jake Richmond: 82-82–164
T38. Josh D’Ercole: 82-82–164
43. Taylor Johnson: 83-82–165
44. Brock Rogers: 82-84–166
46. Gavin McWhorter: 85-91–176
The only event remaining prior to the 2024 GPAC Men’s Golf Championships will be the Bulldog-Tiger Cup that has been rescheduled for April 25 at Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln. The annual Concordia-Doane matchup is slated to get underway at 2:30 p.m. CT on that date.