Final Results
2016 All-OAC Team
NCAA Division III Championships Page

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ohio - The Otterbein University men's golf team clinched its second-straight win at the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships over the weekend, flying past second-place Ohio Northern by 41 strokes at the River Greens Golf Course.

The Cardinals also clinched an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships, scheduled for May 10-13 at the Midvale Country Club and Mendon Golf Club in Rochester, N.Y. This will be the 19th NCAA appearance for Otterbein.

"The guys showed great poise and determination after a slow start," head coach Brian Booher said. "Nobody hit the panic button, which allowed them to go out with confidence and fire 13-under par in the third round."

Otterbein held a 29-shot lead over Ohio Northern after three rounds of play, never looking back as the Cards totaled an 1,152 over the three-day event. Second-place ONU finished with an 1,193 to edge third-place John Carroll by one stroke.

Four Cardinal players earned All-OAC accolades, led by senior David Monaco who earned medalist honors, out of 40 golfers, after firing a 278 (75-70-66-67) to finish at 10-under par. Monaco, a two-time OAC 'Golfer of the Week' this season, topped the field by 13 strokes on the par-72 course.

"We were very confident going into this weekend and had all been playing very well," Monaco said afterwards. "This was a great end to our regular season and now it's time to see if we can make some noise on the national level."

Junior Kris Clarke also grabbed All-OAC honors and a share of second-place, shooting a three-over par 291 (75-72-69-75) to match Buster Thomas from Mount Union. Senior Luke Kindelin also added an all-conference award after shooting a 293 (74-73-70-76), good for a fourth-place finish.

Sophomore Austin Wells was the final Cardinal to earn All-OAC recognition, tying for sixth-place with a score of 295 (77-76-70-72). Senior Adam Crider, the reigning OAC 'Golfer of the Week', rounded out the competitors for Otterbein in 22nd-place with a 306 (82-75-77-72).

I'm so proud of my assistant coach, Nick Steffanni, and the entire team," Booher added. "We now look forward to the next step at nationals."