Ferris State Men's Golf Advances To NCAA D2 National Championships In Florida!

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's golf team advanced to the 2024 NCAA Division II National Championships in Florida as the Bulldogs came away with a fifth-place team finish at the NCAA D2 Midwest/Central Super Regional Championships that wrapped up on Saturday (May 11) in Edmond, Okla.

The Bulldogs shot a final-round 277 team figure and finished at 834 or six-under for the 54-hole super regional tournament to earn their spot in the national championships. The top five teams in the super regional advanced to the national championships set for May 21-25 in Winter Garden, Fla.

This year's national championships berth represents FSU's 17th all-time in program history and first since 2019.

Ferris State's six-under total was three strokes ahead of sixth-place Missouri S&T, which finished at 837 or three-under for the three days of competition. The Bulldogs had entered the final round tied for fourth place overall with both Henderson State and Missouri S&T in the 20-team field. Ferris State carded a 279 team score in Thursday's opening round before coming back with a 278 on Friday and closing with a 277 in the last round.

The regional winner at Kickingbird Golf Course was Central Oklahoma, which climbed two spots in the final round to capture the team championship with a 823 (-17) figure. Henderson State moved up two spots to finish at 824 overall (-16), shooting a 267 in the final round, to finish second. Harding took third place (830) and Grand Valley State fourth (831), joining FSU in the top five for the trip to nationals.

Ferris State freshman McCoy Biagioli had a strong final round, carding an impressive six-under 64 score to finish tied for third individually at 203 for the tournament. He was followed by Nathan Kraynyk in sixth place as he shot a 69 in the last round and came in at 204 overall.

FSU's Caleb Bond shot a one-over 71 on Saturday and placed tied for 10th on the leaderboard at 206 for the tournament while Zach Koerner notched a final-round 73 and placed tied for 87th with a 221 total. Finally, Drayton Cleaver garnered a 78 in the final 18 holes of play and wound up 107th overall.

The par 70 course measured in at 6,944 yards.

The Midwest/Central Regional was hosted by Southern Nazarene University and consisted of 10 teams from the Midwest Region along with 10 from the Central Region. Four individuals from each region also competed in the 54-hole tournament.

The top five teams and the top two student-athletes not with a team from each regional advanced to the finals set for May 21-25 at the Orange Country National Golf Center and Lodge in Winter Garden, Fla. The finals will be hosted by Rollins College and the Greater Orlando Sports Commission.

In 2017, the Bulldogs earned runner-up honors in the 2017 NCAA-II Midwest/Central Super Regional in Kearney, Neb., before going on to a national quarterfinal finish. In 2019, the Bulldogs placed tied for third at the super regional and reached the NCAA D2 National Championships, placing 20th overall. FSU also made the field three years ago in 2021, finishing 10th overall in Super Regional play, before earning a berth and placing ninth overall last season in regional play in Ferris State's most recent appearance.

This year makes this the 19th time in the past 21 years in which the Bulldogs have had representation in the NCAA Tournament when it has been held. The stretch of NCAA Championship representation in men's golf ranks as one of the best stretches in the country.

Ferris State captured its 22nd all-time GLIAC Championship by beating rival Grand Valley State in the league finale on April 14 in Augusta, Mich.

Final results from the Super Regional Tourney can be found at the link below. Stay tuned for additional information on the D2 National Championships coming soon:
https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&tid=29169