Freshman Keenan Hickton carefully putts at the ball. Hickton and the Eagles competed at the Wolfpack Spring Open this past weekend, and placed 10th out of 11 teams. | Courtesy of Emory Athletics
The Emory golf team finished its regular season at the Wolfpack Spring Open this past Sunday, finishing 10th out of eleven teams, consisting of mainly NCAA Division I competition.
The event consisted of 36 holes, and was played on the 7284-yard, par-71 Lonnie Poole Golf Course in Raleigh, N.C.
North Carolina State University won the tournament with a total mark of 551. University of Maryland finished second with a total 568 points.
Carolina State junior David Cooke had the strongest performance during the tournament, shooting under par both days with a total mark of 132, or 11 under par.
The tournament was divided into two days with the Eagles shooting a total of 603 over the two days. On the first day, the Eagles’ top-four players shot 301, bringing the average mark to a solid 75.25, or 4.25 over par. On the second day, Emory had a total of 302 with an average total of 75.50.
Senior Alex Wunderlich finished his Emory golf career with a strong performance. On the first day, he shot par, and on the second day he shot three-over-par, bringing his total mark to 145, the strongest on the Emory team.
Sophomore Sam Nichamin shot 74 or three-over-par the first day and 76 or five-over-par the second day, giving him a combined average of 150. Freshman Matthew Csillag shot a 78, seven-over-par the first day and 74, three-over-par, the second day, bringing his total to 152. Freshman Keenan Hickton shot 78 the first day and 79 the second day, bringing his total to 157. Junior Vince Sirianni, after two strong tournaments in a row, shot 82 the first day and 78 the second to bring his total to 160.
With the season ending, Wunderlich reflected on his experience on the team.
“It goes by so fast. When you are a freshman and you have four more years, it feels like its never going to end, but now that it’s over, it feels as if it just flew by,” Wunderlich said. “Some advice that I have for my teammates is just to cherish the time you have with your team. It’s really a unique experience.”
Wunderlich finished the tournament shooting two birdies on the last four holes, a great end to a great career, and one that Head Coach John Sjoberg is proud of.
“My favorite moment of the season actually was at this tournament,” Sjoberg said. “Seeing Alex [Wunderlich] end his career with two birdies was amazing. I’ve seen him grow up over the four years. He’s a great athlete, a great teammate and a hard worker, especially in his studies.”
