Aug. 31, 2021
Eleventh-year Head Coach Brett Muller’s ‘A’ squad carded a two-day total of 304-299–603. Dakota Wesleyan won the team title with its score of 321-276–597. Concordia also entered a second grouping that turned in a two-round total of 322-321–643.
“It ended up really close. We caught Dakota Wesleyan on the wrong day – they were on fire,” Muller said. “They made a ton of birdies and very few bogies. We had a few too many bogies that ended up being the difference in the team race. Overall, I’m pretty happy with where we’re at as a team to have three guys in the top 10. I’m not sure when the last time was that we had two guys shoot under par on the same day.”
D’Ercole and Yabut, the program’s top two players in 2020-21, both shot one-under-par (71) on Tuesday while sharing third place on the individual leaderboard. They recorded identical tournament scores of 76-71–147 (+3). The performance marked the fourth career top 10 tournament claim for D’Ercole while Yabut and Webert seized their first career top 10 finishes. A freshman from Lincoln, Webert led the field after day one and ended up in eighth place (73-79–152).
The other two Bulldogs on the ‘A’ grouping were Jake Hagerbaumer (79-78–157; T-16th) and Gavin McWhorter (81-79–160; T-22nd). The rest of the Concordia tournament roster featured Nathan Auffet (75-80–155; T-13th), Jack Williams (81-77–158; T-19th), Landon Walkenhorst (82-85–167; T-28th), Jacob Woodmancy (84-83–167; T-28th) and Josh D’Ercole (87-81–168; 31st).
The battle to retain spots within the varsity lineup will likely continue through the fall. Said Muller, “It’s been very tight in (practice) playoffs for the top five. That’s going to make it more competitive for us in these tournaments. Seven of our 10 guys improved their score from day one to day two. Just getting more guys in the 70s is going to help us down the road.”
Next up for the men’s team will be the Blue River Classic (Sept. 8-9), an event that Concordia co-hosts with Doane. The first round will be held at the home of the Bulldogs, Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln, before play shifts to Woodland Hills Golf Course in Eagle, Neb., for day two.
Sept. 7, 2021
SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Men’s Golf program is making final preparations to co-host the annual Blue River Classic. Concordia will host Wednesday’s round at Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln, Neb., while Doane will host Thursday’s round at Woodland Hills Golf Course in Eagle, Neb. The event will feature 106 golfers from 13 institutions. Head Coach Brett Muller will enter all 16 competitors on his roster into the field.
Blue River Classic – Sept. 8-9 Round 1 – Sept. 8 Round 2 – Sept. 9
--For live results, visit https://www.golfgenius.com/ and use the Golf Genius ID of “21BRC.” Golf Genius also has an app available for download.
2021 Blue River Classic field of teams:
The field of teams at the 2021 Blue River Classic includes seven GPAC teams, five junior college squads and York College. Last season’s Blue River Classic took place at both Beatrice Country Club and Highlands and saw Concordia place ninth out of 13 teams. The top three players for the Bulldogs at the event were Nathan Auffet (87-75–162), Ivan Yabut (84-80–164) and Drew D’Ercole (90-75–165). Iowa Western Community College is the defending Blue River Classic champion.
This will be the second time out this season for the Bulldogs. At the Mount Marty Invite (Aug. 30-31), Concordia placed second out of eight teams with a two-round total of 304-299–603. Three Bulldogs placed in the top 10 individually: D’Ercole (76-71–147; T-3rd), Yabut (76-71–147; T-3rd) and Justin Webert (73-79–152; 8th). Concordia had entered day two in first place in the team scoring. The Bulldogs are coming off a ninth place GPAC finish in 2020-21.
Following the Blue River Classic, Concordia will return to action at the Siouxland Invite, Sept. 13-14. The tournament is co-hosted by Dordt and Northwestern.
Bulldogs reside in seventh after day one of Blue River Classic Sept. 9, 2021
LINCOLN, Neb. – The Concordia University Men’s Golf program welcomed more than 100 golfers from 13 different institutions to the annual Blue River Classic, which opened with round one on Wednesday (Sept. 8). The Bulldog ‘A’ grouping carded a score of 296 on its home course and resides in seventh place out of 19 total teams. The first 18 holes of the event took place at Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln, Neb.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad has entered 16 individuals into the field. Drew D’Ercole was the top Concordia performer in round one with a one-under-par 71. Below is the complete listing of Bulldog scores on the first day of the Blue River Classic.
Action on day two of the event will get underway at 9 a.m. CT from Woodland Hills Golf Course in Eagle, Neb. Doane will serve as the day two host. Live results can be followed via https://www.golfgenius.com/ by using the GGID of 21BRC.
Bulldogs at the Blue River Classic:
T7. Drew D’Ercole – 71
T17. Justin Webert – 73
T36. Nathan Auffet – 75
T48. Josh D’Ercole – 77
T48. Jake Hagerbaumer – 77
T61. Landon Walkenhorst – 78
T61. Ivan Yabut – 78
T70. Gavin McWhorter – 79
T70. Jacob Woodmancy – 79
T77. Taylor Johnson – 81
T77. Jack Williams – 81
T81. Jaxson Fullerton – 82
T87. Tyler Bartels – 84
T87. Gavin Buttshaw – 84
T98. Jordan Kracl – 97
101. Connor Zika – 101
D'Ercole claims top 10 medal, Bulldogs place sixth at Blue River Sept. 9, 2021
EAGLE, Neb. – Near perfect conditions met the field of more than 100 golfers on day two of the Blue River Classic co-hosted by the men’s golf programs at Concordia and Doane. Once again, Drew D’Ercole led the way for the Bulldogs, who entered 16 individuals into the tournament that took place on Wednesday and Thursday (Sept. 8-9). The Concordia ‘A’ grouping carded a two-round total of 296-293–589 and placed sixth out of 19 total teams (from 13 institutions).
Head Coach Brett Muller’s competitors combined for a total of 15 rounds in the 70s between the two days of golf. Action took place at Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln, Neb., on Wednesday before shifting to Woodland Hills Golf Course in Eagle, Neb., on Thursday.
“The Blue River Classic again proved it’s one of the deeper fields as far as events that we play in,” Muller said. “There were so many scores under par individually. I’m pretty proud of our guys. We’re getting closer and getting more competitive with the top GPAC schools. Our depth definitely showed with our second group shooting a 306. Last year our top group struggled to shoot 306 so to have our second five shoot that shows our depth. It makes it tougher to figure out who our top five are, but that’s a good problem to have.”
D’Ercole has separated himself as the top Dawg in the lineup to this point. After tying for third place at the Mount Marty Invite, D’Ercole shared seventh place at the Blue River Classic thanks to his two-round score of 71-71–142 (-1). The native of Papillion, Neb., now has the expectation of finishing in the top 10 of each tournament.
Said D’Ercole, “I was happy with it. Obviously two double bogies put a sour taste in my mouth, but it was a good feeling for the tournament (as a whole). I’m proud of the guys with how they fought. Jacob Woodmancy and Ivan Yabut both had 70-rounds today. That was good to see.”
Added Muller on D’Ercole, “He believes he’s one of the top players in the conference and he’s going to do everything he can to put in the extra time and put himself in that conversation. He’s performed well this year. We’re all hungry to get back out there Monday and Tuesday.”
As mentioned by D’Ercole, Woodmancy and Yabut sizzled with 70s on Thursday. In the team’s scoring, they placed just behind Justin Webert (73-73–146; T-19th) at the top of the pack. Yabut vaulted from 61st place after day one to 22nd (78-70–148) at the conclusion of the tournament. Woodmancy was one stroke (79-70–149) behind.
In terms of overall 36-hole scoring, the rest of the top 10 for the Bulldogs included Nathan Auffet (75-79–154; T-52nd), Jack Williams (81-75–156; T-66th), Josh D’Ercole (77-81–158; T-68th), Gavin McWhorter (79-80–159; T-71st), Jake Hagerbaumer (77-82–159; T-71st) and Landon Walkenhorst (78-82–160: T-75th). The latter five were each part of the ‘B’ team that carded a 306.
Iowa Western Community College walked away as the team champion of the Blue River Classic. Damian Osner won a playoff to claim the individual title. Concordia was one of seven GPAC schools at the tournament. Among GPAC ‘A’ groups, the Bulldogs placed third.
The fall season will resume next week with the Siouxland Invite that will play out Monday and Tuesday in Sioux Center, Iowa, and Orange City, Iowa. Dordt and Northwestern serve as the co-hosts of the event.
Yabut shoots school record 65, leads Siouxland field after day 1 Sept. 13, 2021
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – It was a memorable Monday (Sept. 13) for Omaha native Ivan Yabut, who broke the Concordia University Men’s Golf program record for lowest single round score. Yabut carded a seven-under-par 65 while navigating The Ridge Golf Club in Sioux Center, Iowa, on the first of two days at the Siouxland Invite. Yabut owns a two-stroke lead atop the individual leaderboard, which includes 81 golfers. As a team, the Bulldog ‘A’ grouping sits tied for fifth out of 15 squads.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s top grouping shot a season low score of 291, besting the 293 it turned in on the final day of the Blue River Classic. Concordia is 11 strokes behind tournament leader Iowa Western Community College (280). The Bulldogs sit six strokes out of second place.
Prior to Yabut’s performance on Monday, the best 18-hole score ever by a Bulldog was four-under-par, achieved by four different individuals: Nolan Zikas, Shawn Rodehorst, Reid Wiebe and Mike Kulzer. Most recently, Zikas shot a 68 (-4) on Sept. 20, 2017, at the Blue River Classic. Yabut went lower while turning in an eagle, six birdies and 10 pars in Monday’s round. He had entered this week with a season scoring average of 73.8.
The rest of the Bulldog ‘A’ team included Jake Hagerbaumer (73; T-14th), Drew D’Ercole (74; T-19th), Justin Webert (79; T-49th) and Nate Auffet (86; T-69th). D’Ercole is coming off back-to-back top 10 tournament placements to begin the 2021-22 season.
The second grouping of Concordia competitors shot a solid team score of 305 (ninth place). The group included Gavin McWhorter (75; T23rd), Jacob Woodmancy (75; T-23rd), Josh D’Ercole (76; T-34th), Jack Williams (79; T-49th) and Landon Walkenhorst (89; T-73rd).
Round two of the Siouxland Invite will begin at 10 a.m. CT on Tuesday and will be held at Landsmeer Golf Club in Orange City, Iowa. The event is being co-hosted by Dordt and Northwestern. Live scoring can be followed via Golf Genius with the Golf Genius ID of 21SIOUXLAND.
Bulldogs equal team record, place sixth at Siouxland Invite Sept. 14, 2021
ORANGE CITY, Iowa – One day after Ivan Yabut broke a school record for best individual 18-hole score, the Concordia University Men’s Golf team finished off a tournament that equaled a program all-time best. The Bulldogs’ two-round total of 291-292–583 tied the program standard for lowest 36-hole score at a single event. That performance placed the Concordia ‘A’ grouping in sixth place out of 15 teams at the Siouxland Invite held Monday and Tuesday (Sept. 13-14) in Sioux Center, Iowa, and Orange City, Iowa.
Head Coach Brett Muller entered two groups of five into the tournament. The second Bulldog grouping carded a score of 305-304–609 (ninth place).
“Every tournament our team score has improved,” Muller said. “We improved from the Mount Marty Invite to the Blue River and from the Blue River to the Siouxland. We’re trending in the right direction. We have a lot of very capable guys. At this point we have potentially eight guys who could all make an argument that they deserve to have a chance to play in our top five. I’m very proud of that second group again. They played very well.”
Yabut shattered the previous school record for a single round by shooting a seven-under-par 65 on Monday at The Ridge Golf Club in Sioux Center. He followed that all-timer of an outing with a 75 at Landsmeer Golf Club in Orange City on Tuesday. His overall total of 65-75–140 (-3) left him one stroke shy of the program record of four-under (138) for a two-round event. The Omaha native led the field of 81 golfers after day one and wound up in fifth place, six strokes behind the winner from Morningside.
Said Muller, “That was really impressive yesterday. He had an early bogey and then made a birdie to get it back. He started on the back nine yesterday, the tougher of the two sides. Ivan really capitalized and put himself in position off the tee. He gave himself makeable birdie putts and rolled most of them in. He had a great chip-in for eagle on hole 8. It was a very impressive round.”
While Yabut placed in the top five of a tournament for the second time this season, freshman Jake Hagerbaumer moved into a tie for ninth place by the end of Tuesday’s round. He shot a score of 73-70–143. The team’s top golfer entering the week, Drew D’Ercole managed a top 20 finish (tied for 19th) while turning in a total of 74-72–146. The rest of the ‘A’ team featured Justin Webert (79-78–157; T-51st) and Nathan Auffet (86-75–161; T-58th).
The second grouping was paced by Gavin McWhorter and Jacob Woodmancy, who carded identical scores of 75-74–149 and shared 30th place. The final three Bulldogs at the Siouxland Invite were Jack Williams (79-74–153; T-44th), Josh D’Ercole (76-82–158; T-54th) and Landon Walkenhorst (89-92–181; 72nd). In sum, Concordia golfers combined for 16 rounds with scores of 79 or lower at the tournament.
The team’s two-round total of 583 equaled the school record that had been set at the GPAC Championships in the fall of 2017. Yabut just missed the 36-hole individual record that Nolan Zikas produced in the fall of 2018 when he shot a 69-69–138 (-4) at the Siouxland Invite.
The Bulldogs have two weeks to prepare for the GPAC Fall Championships, which will be held at Indian Creek Golf Course in Elkhorn, Neb., Sept. 27-28. Concordia is hoping to improve upon last season’s ninth place GPAC finish. Individually, Drew D’Ercole claimed honorable mention All-GPAC accolades.
Tournament Preview: 2021 GPAC men's golf fall championships Sept. 24, 2021
SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Men’s Golf program hopes to carry this season’s improvement into next week’s conference championships. The fall portion of the GPAC Men’s Golf Championship will be held next Monday and Tuesday (Sept. 27-28) at Indian Creek Golf Course in Elkhorn, Neb. The first tee time for the Bulldogs in round one is set for 10 a.m. CT.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad is coming off a ninth-place conference finish last season. Concordia carded a four-round conference total of 342-330-315-321–1,308 in 2020-21. Indian Creek was also the site last season’s first two GPAC rounds.
The Bulldogs have proven capable of making a leap forward in the conference. So far this season, the Concordia varsity grouping has averaged a team score of 295.8 (as compared to 319.4 the previous year). Through three events (six rounds) this fall, Drew D’Ercole and Ivan Yabut are deadlocked for the team best scoring average (72.5). D’Ercole earned top 10 tournament finishes at the Mount Marty Invite (third) and the Blue River Classic (seventh). In the team’s most recent outing at the Siouxland Invite, Yabut stole the show by carding a school record low round of seven-under-par 65. He wound up placing fifth overall.
Following D’Ercole and Yabut, there has been plenty of competition for the Nos. 3 through 5 spots in the lineup. The overall depth within the program is greater than ever before. A freshman from Lincoln, Justin Webert placed top 10 at the Mount Marty Invite and ranks third on the team with a scoring average of 75.8. Five additional Bulldogs boast season averages south of 80. Collectively, Concordia golfers have combined to shoot 42 rounds of 79 or lower through the season’s first three tournaments.
Morningside is the reigning GPAC champion and the conference favorite entering the meet. The Bulldogs hope to be more in line with (or even surpass) where they landed in 2017-18 when standout Nolan Zikas led them to a fifth-place conference finish. D’Ercole was recognized as an Honorable Mention All-GPAC award winner last season. Considering the results so far this season, D’Ercole and Yabut are strong contenders for all-conference recognition in 2021-22.
Pairings and tee times for round two (Sept. 28) of the GPAC Championships will be based off the scores from round one. Rounds three and four of GPAC men’s golf will be staged at The Bluffs Golf Course in Vermillion, S.D., in the spring of 2022.
The GPAC will offer live scoring for the tournament via https://www.golfgenius.com/ . The tournament’s live results can be accessed by using the Golf Genius ID of 2122MGPAC.
Bulldogs in fourth after round one of GPAC tournament Sept. 27, 2021
ELKHORN, Neb. – The 2021 GPAC Championships have started encouragingly for Concordia University Men’s Golf, which carded a 298 (currently in fourth place) at Indian Creek Golf Course in Elkhorn, Neb., on Monday. The 11-team GPAC field is halfway through the fall portion of the conference tournament, which will pick back up on Tuesday morning. Individually, Ivan Yabut continued a strong fall by turning in the team low score of one-under-par 71.
The 298 carded by Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad on Monday represents the program’s best GPAC tournament round since the 295 that was posted in conference championship round two in the fall of 2017. The Bulldogs sit eight strokes out of second place and one off of third place. In addition, Briar Cliff (300) and Doane (301) are right on Concordia’s heels.
Yabut has been neck-and-neck this fall with Drew D’Ercole for the top scoring average on the team. Yabut’s 71 in round one puts him in a tie for sixth, three strokes out of first place. Coming in next, Jack Williams enjoyed a breakthrough with a 74 (+2) that positions him just outside of the top 10 on the individual leaderboard. The Bulldog group of five was rounded out by Jake Hagerbaumer (76), D’Ercole (77) and Justin Webert (81). D’Ercole earned Honorable Mention All-GPAC honors last season.
Concordia began the day knowing it has the ability to improve upon last season’s ninth place GPAC finish. During the 2020-21 season, the Bulldogs posted a conference total of 342-330-315-321–1,308. So far this fall, Concordia’s varsity lineup has recorded scores of 304 or lower in all seven rounds. A season low of 291 was turned in at the Siouxland Invite.
Round two is slated to tee off from Indian Creek at 10 a.m. CT on Tuesday. Check the GPAC website for pairings heading into day two. Live results can be followed throughout the GPAC tournament via Golf Genius (downloadable phone app). Access the tournament by using the Golf Genius ID of 2122MGPAC.
Led by Yabut, Bulldogs close fall GPAC Championships in sixth Sept. 28, 2021
ELKHORN, Neb. – The Concordia University Men’s Golf team took a bit of a step back on the second day of the fall GPAC Championships, but it remains in the hunt for a finish near the top of the conference standings. The Bulldogs will enter the spring with a sixth-place positioning within the GPAC after carding a two-round score of 298-308–606 at Indian Creek Golf Course in Elkhorn, Neb., over the past two days (Sept. 27-28). Ivan Yabut paced Concordia this week while hanging with the top golfers in the GPAC.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad is primed to improve upon last season’s ninth-place conference finish. With two GPAC rounds left to be contested, the Bulldogs currently sit behind Morningside (571), Briar Cliff (588), Midland (588), Northwestern (600) and Doane (602).
“Yesterday as a whole, I thought we played pretty well,” Muller said. “Today the course played a little bit tougher. Any time you have to count two scores in the 80s it will hurt your team score. It was the first time this fall season we’ve had to do that. I’m proud of where we’re at relative to last year. We showed growth from our two rounds at Indian Creek last year. We’re in the middle of the conference with a chance to make a move in the spring.”
The game of the Burke High School product Yabut has taken off this fall. The Omaha native resides in sixth place in the GPAC (four strokes out of first) with a total of 71-74–145. That figure represents a big leap forward from last season when Yabut placed 31st in the conference (87-86-80-75–328). Yabut’s season scoring average stands at an impressive 72.5 (bolstered by a school record seven-under-par 65 earlier this season).
“He’s just playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Muller said of Yabut. “He’s putting himself in good position off the tee and giving himself a chance to make a lot of birdies. He’s capitalizing on it and that’s been the difference for him in lowering his scoring average.”
Freshman Justin Webert turned in Concordia’s top score of even-par 72 on Tuesday. That performance pushed Webert into a tie for 29th (81-72–153) out of 54 conference golfers. The final three in the Bulldog lineup over the first two GPAC rounds were Jack Williams (74-80–154; T-31st), Drew D’Ercole (77-82–159; T-41st) and Jake Hagerbaumer (76-84–160; T-43rd). D’Ercole closed the 2020-21 season as Concordia’s top GPAC finisher at 21st (80-82-70-85–317). Hagerbaumer and Webert made their debuts in conference tournament action while Williams entered the week having played in six GPAC rounds in his career.
Select members of the team will be in action this Saturday in a JV dual versus Doane at York Country Club. The final official meet of the fall will be the Nebraska Intercollegiate (Oct. 8-9) at Norfolk Country Club in Norfolk, Neb. The final two rounds of the GPAC Championships will be held in the spring of 2022 at The Bluffs Golf Course in Vermillion, S.D.
Williams leads Dawgs on day one of Nebraska Intercollegiate Oct. 8, 2021
NORFOLK, Neb. – State bragging rights are on the line this weekend as men’s golf teams from nine Nebraska institutions have descended upon Norfolk Country Club in Norfolk, Neb., for the Nebraska Intercollegiate (Oct. 8-9). The Concordia University Men’s Golf ‘A’ team shot a 308 on Friday and resides in ninth place (out of 14 total groupings of five). The Bulldogs traveled 10 golfers to the tournament.
The Nebraska Intercollegiate will wrap up the fall season for Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad. In the first round of the event, five Concordia golfers shot scores in the 70s (scores shown below). The tournament features 73 individual competitors.
The Nebraska Intercollegiate has grown this season after having included eight team groupings and 45 individual golfers. The 308 carded by the Bulldogs on Friday is an improvement from the team’s results at the 2020 Nebraska Intercollegiate when it shot 313-329–642.
Jack Williams carded the team’s low round on Friday with a two-over-par 74. That score tied Williams’ season best turned in at the Siouxland Invite. Other Concordia golfers to shoot in the 70s were Jacob Woodmancy (76), Ivan Yabut (76), Gavin McWhorter (77) and Drew D’Ercole (78).
Concordia ‘A’ Team
· Jack Williams – 74 (T-14th)
· Ivan Yabut – 76 (T-22nd)
· Drew D’Ercole – 78 (T-35th)
· Justin Webert – 80 (T-41st)
· Jake Hagerbaumer – 83 (T-54th)
Concordia ‘B’ Team
· Jacob Woodmancy – 76 (T-22nd)
· Gavin McWhorter – 77 (T-30th)
· Nate Auffet – 82 (T-51st)
· Landon Walkenhorst – 84 (61st)
· Taylor Johnson – 86 (T-65th)
Round two of the Nebraska Intercollegiate is slated to get underway at 10 a.m. CT from Norfolk Country Club on Saturday. Northeast Community College (294) is the leader heading into day two. Live results can be followed via https://www.golfgenius.com/ (use the Golf Genius ID of DHZDAB).
Concordia improves on day two, places 10th at Nebraska Intercollegiate Oct. 9, 2021
NORFOLK, Neb. – Two rounds of action at the Nebraska Intercollegiate provided an opportunity to claim state bragging rights. When the dust settled on Saturday (Oct. 9) at Norfolk Country Club, the Concordia University Men’s Golf ‘A’ team placed 10th out of 14 groups of five. A total of 72 competitors from nine different institutions were present at the two-day event.
This marked the final fall tournament for Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad. The Bulldogs played in five varsity events this fall, including the GPAC Championships (currently in sixth place). They carded team scores this weekend of 308-304–612 (‘A’ team) and 319-308–627 (‘B’ team).
Concordia’s Jack Williams hung onto a spot in the top 20 of the tournament standings with his two-day score of 74-75–149. He led the way for a group of 10 Bulldogs who navigated the course in Norfolk, Neb. From the ‘B’ team, Gavin McWhorter shot the next lowest total (77-76–153). Complete individual scores for Concordia competitors are listed below.
Concordia ‘A’ Team
· Jack Williams – 74-75–149 (T-20th)
· Drew D’Ercole – 78-76–154 (T-34th)
· Ivan Yabut – 76-78–154 (T-34th)
· Jake Hagerbaumer – 83-75–158 (T-45th)
· Justin Webert – 80-80–160 (T-50th)
Concordia ‘B’ Team
· Gavin McWhorter – 77-76–153 (T-30th)
· Jacob Woodmancy – 76-78–154 (T-34th)
· Nate Auffet – 82-76–158 (T-45th)
· Taylor Johnson – 86-78–164 (T-57th)
· Landon Walkenhorst – 84-81–165 (T-59th)
The season will resume in the spring of 2022. The spring season will include two more rounds of conference championship action.
Schedule Release: 2022 spring men's golf Nov. 9, 2021
SEWARD, Neb. – The schedules for the spring of 2022 are in place for the Concordia University Golf programs. After wrapping up the fall portion of the 2021-22 season in October, the men’s team now looks forward to resuming action in Las Vegas over spring break. The spring slate will include six events leading up to the GPAC Championships in April.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s men’s team will enter 2022 situated in sixth place in the GPAC standings. In the first two rounds of the 2021-22 conference championships, the Bulldogs carded a total of 298-308–606 while competing at Indian Creek Golf Course in Elkhorn, Neb. In terms of individual scoring averages, Concordia has been led this fall by Ivan Yabut (73.4) and Drew D’Ercole (74.8).
NCAA Division II Winona State University will serve as the host for the Warrior Invitational in Vegas, which will take place March 7-8 at Stallion Mountain Golf Club. The rest of the schedule will keep Concordia in the region with events in Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota. The Briar Cliff GPAC Preview meet on April 18-19 will serve as a proper precursor to the conference tournament. The final two rounds of the GPAC Championships are set to be held at The Bluffs Golf Course in Vermillion, S.D., April 22-23.
Additional regular season meets include the Bulldog-Tiger Cup (March 19), the Doane University Invite (March 25-26), the Bethel College Invite (April 2-3) and the Hastings Bronco Invite (April 11-12). National qualifiers will earn a trip to Silvis, Ill., for the 2022 NAIA Men’s Golf National Championships, May 17-20.
Men's golf spring season set to open in Vegas Mar. 6, 2022
SEWARD, Neb. – After venturing to Prescott, Ariz., in 2020, the Concordia University Men’s Golf program has made its way to Las Vegas for spring break 2022. As part of the Warrior Invitational hosted by Winona State University, Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad will play at Stallion Mountain Golf Club in Las Vegas on Monday and Tuesday (March 7-8). The event field is loaded with NCAA Division II competition, including host Winona State. The list of competitors can be found via the live scoring link below.
Winona State Warrior Invitational Live Scoring (Golf Stat)
This will mark the first outing for the Bulldogs since the Nebraska Intercollegiate back on Oct. 8-9. As of the close of the fall season, Concordia stands in sixth place in the GPAC standings with a two-round conference total of 298-308–606. Individually, Ivan Yabut led the way for the Bulldogs in the fall portion of the conference tournament and is currently in sixth place (71-74–145). Next in line from a conference perspective was Justin Webert in a tie for 29th (81-72–153).
Based on season scoring average from the fall, Concordia’s top five performers were Yabut (73.4), Drew D’Ercole (74.8), Webert (76.8), Jack Williams (77.0) and Jacob Woodmancy (77.4). As a major highlight of the fall, Yabut broke the program record for lowest single-round score when he carded a seven-under-par 65 on the first day of the Siouxland Invite on Sept. 13. Yabut has two top-five tournament place finishes to his credit this season. D’Ercole has placed in the top 10 of two tournaments.
Following the two-day event in Vegas, Bulldog Men’s Golf will resume action with the Bulldog-Tiger Cup at York Country Club on March 19.
Bulldogs shoot 323 on first day of action in Vegas Mar. 7, 2022
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – It’s back to action for Concordia University Men’s Golf, which arrived in Las Vegas over the weekend and then began the two-day Winona State Warrior Invitational on Monday (March 7). In the first round of the event, the Bulldogs carded a team score of 323 (+35) while navigating the Stallion Mountain Golf Club in Vegas. Concordia is one of 16 teams in the field that includes 107 individual golfers. The tournament is heavy on NCAA Division II squads.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad competed in five events for a total of 10 rounds back in the fall. The spring season began on Monday for the seven Bulldogs who made the journey to Sin City.
Individually, Drew D’Ercole turned in the team’s low round with a six-over-par 78. Below are the Concordia results from the first round.
· Drew D’Ercole – 78 (+6) | T-33rd
· Jake Hagerbaumer – 80 (+8) | T-54th
· Ivan Yabut – 81 (+9) | T-66th
· Gavin McWhorter – 81 (+9) | T-66th
· Jacob Woodmancy – 84 (+12) | T-85th
· Nathan Auffut – 85 (+13) | T-89th
· Jack Williams – 85 (+13) | T-89th
As of the close of the fall season, Concordia stands in sixth place in the GPAC standings with a two-round conference total of 298-308–606. Individually, Yabut led the way for the Bulldogs in the fall portion of the conference tournament and is currently in sixth place (71-74–145). Next in line from a conference perspective was Justin Webert in a tie for 29th (81-72–153).
Round two will tee off at 7 a.m. PT / 9 a.m. CT from Stallion Mountain. The top five teams heading into day two are Washburn (304), McKendree (306), Westminster (307), Northeastern State (307), Winona State (308) and South Dakota School of Mines (308).
D’Ercole climbs to 12th as Bulldogs conclude tournament in Vegas Mar. 8, 2022
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Drew D’Ercole shined on the second and final day of the Warrior Invitational hosted by Winona State University. D’Ercole moved all the way up from 33rd into a tie for 12th on the individual leaderboard at the spring’s first event, which took place at Stallion Mountain Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nev., on Monday and Tuesday (March 7-8). The Concordia University Men’s Golf team placed 14th out of 16 teams in a field loaded with NCAA Division II competitors.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad carded a two-day total of 323-320–643 while knocking off the rust. It marked the first outing for the Bulldogs since October. Concordia got a chance to play two rounds in warmer weather and soak up some of the sights that Vegas has to offer.
“It was nice to get out of Nebraska and play a couple different golf courses down here over spring break,” Muller said. “We definitely saw some competition that we don’t typically see. It was a good trip for us to gain some experience. The guys are disappointed in the way they scored, but it’s still very early in the spring season and we haven’t been outside a whole lot. We definitely have some areas we can improve in.”
A two-time top 10 tournament finisher in the fall, D’Ercole made a push for a similar finish. He shot a one-over-par 73 on Tuesday while ascending more than 20 spots on a leaderboard including 107 golfers. The Papillion, Neb., native turned in a two-day total of 78-73–151. D’Ercole (18 pars and six birdies over the two rounds) was at least seven strokes better than every other Concordia competitor on Tuesday. Next in line were Ivan Yabut (81-83–164; T-78th) and Jake Hagerbuamer (80-84–164; T-78th). Yabut was the team’s top golfer during the fall with a scoring average of 73.4.
Said Muller of D’Ercole, “Drew played pretty well most of the round today. He had himself tied for third at one point after making an eagle and back-to-back birdies. He struggled to finish the round a little, but he had a really good tournament.”
The score of Jack Williams (85-80–165; T-82nd) also counted towards the team total. The three other Bulldogs at the event were Nathan Auffut (85-85–170; T-96th), Gavin McWhorter (81-93–174; 100th) and Jacob Woodmancy (84-91–175; T-101st). Williams equaled D’Ercole for the most improvement from Monday to Tuesday (five strokes).
Three teams tied at the top of the team scoring at the Warrior Invite: McKendree University (306-292–598), Northeastern State (307-291–598) and Washburn (304-294–598). Dawson Willis of Washburn won individual medalist honors with a score of 72-69–141.
The season will resume on March 19 with the Bulldog-Tiger Cup at York Country Club. Five more events remain on the schedule prior to the spring portion of the 2021-22 GPAC Championships (April 22-23). During the fall season, Concordia played in five events (10 total rounds).
Concordia edged by Doane in annual Bulldog-Tiger Cup Mar. 20, 2022
YORK, Neb. – In the annual rivalry matchup between Concordia University Men’s Golf and Doane, the Tigers got the upper hand on Saturday (March 19) at York Country Club in York, Neb. Doane took the Bulldog-Tiger Cup, 15.5 to 14.5, in a unique event that features both singles and doubles matches. The two sides were tied, 8-8, going into the 14 singles matches that were contested. Full results can be found at bottom.
This marked the second outing of the spring for Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad, which also traveled to Vegas over spring break and played in the Winona State Warrior Invitational. Five more events are coming up yet this spring.
Next on the docket will be the Doane University Invite this coming Thursday and Friday (March 25-26). The event will be staged at Woodland Hills Golf Course in Eagle, Neb., on day one before shifting to College Heights Golf Course in Crete, Neb., for day two.
FINAL: Doane 15.5, Concordia 14.5
Singles Results:
Doubles Results:
D’Ercole, Yabut earn top 10 finishes at Doane Spring Invite Mar. 26, 2022
CRETE, Neb. – A group of 15 Bulldogs represented Concordia University Men’s Golf at the two-day Doane Spring Invite that played out Friday and Saturday (March 25-26). Led by top 10 individual finishers Drew D’Ercole and Ivan Yabut, the Bulldogs got better on day two as the ‘A’ team shot a 304 in action at College Heights Country Club in Crete, Neb. The field of 54 golfers played at Woodland Hills Golf Course in Eagle, Neb., the previous day.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s ‘A’ squad wound up shooting a two-round score of 326-304–630, which placed it fourth out of 10 total groupings. Concordia, Doane and Hastings each entered multiple squads into the tournament.
“Yesterday’s round was a little disappointing. We just had too many big numbers on the round,” Muller said. “We only had one score in the 70s. Today was much better and we just had more consistent, better play. The guys had a better mindset. Because of that, we moved up the standings a little bit. The highlight of the day was that we had the second lowest team score of the day behind Morningside (293).”
A year ago, D’Ercole won the Doane Invite when he shot a 73-73–146 (+3). This time around, the native of Papillion, Neb., turned in a score of 79-76–155 (+12) and placed ninth – 12 strokes behind the tournament champion from Morningside. Yabut was right on his heels with a score of 80-76–156. During the 2021-22 season, Yabut has placed in the top 10 of four tournaments while D’Ercole has three top 10 finishes to his credit.
The rest of the Bulldog ‘A’ lineup featured Justin Webert (85-75–160; T-15th), Jake Hagerbaumer (82-80–162; T-18th) and Jacob Woodmancy (85-77–162; T-18th). Of the first grouping of five, Webert made the largest improvement from day one to day two. Said Muller, “Justin Webert had a great round today. He’s a consistent guy in our top five and a guy we count on.”
Below is a summery of the scores turned in by Concordia golfers at the Doane Invite. On the ‘B’ team, Taylor Johnson carded a 77 on day two. That ranked in a tie for fourth lowest among Bulldogs.
Concordia ‘A’
Concordia ‘B’
Concordia ‘C’
The season will continue next weekend (April 2-3) with the Bethel College Invite set to take place in both Hesston, Kan., and Newton, Kan. There are three more two-day events remaining on the slate prior to the GPAC Championships.
Concordia 'A' team closes Bethel Invite first round in fifth place Apr. 2, 2022
HESSTON, Kan. – For the second weekend in a row, the Concordia University Men’s Golf team is playing a two-day event. With the first round of the Bethel College Invite in the books, the Bulldog ‘A’ team resides in fifth place on the strength of one-over-par performances from Jake Hagerbaumer and Ivan Yabut on Saturday (April 2). Round one was held at Hesston Golf Park in Hesston, Kan. This is already the fourth outing of the spring for Concordia.
Head Coach Brett Muller traveled 10 golfers to the tournament. The top Bulldog grouping shot a team score of 292 while the ‘B’ squad shot a total of 315 in the opening round of the Bethel Invite. There are 10 teams and 65 individual golfers in the field
Below are the scores turned in by Concordia golfers on Saturday. Hagerbaumer and Yabut will enter the second day tied for 13th. Teammate Drew D’Ercole is right on their heels with a 73. They are four strokes behind three tournament co-leaders who each shot a 68. The 292 team score for the Bulldogs was just one stroke off the season best of 291 at the Siouxland Invite back in the fall.
Concordia ‘A’ Team
· Jake Hagerbaumer – 72 (T-13th)
· Ivan Yabut – 72 (T-13th)
· Drew D’Ercole – 73 (T-17th)
· Justin Webert – 75 (T-24th)
· Jacob Woodmancy – 80 (T-40th)
Concordia ‘B’ Team
· Gavin Buttshaw – 76 (T-28th)
· Taylor Johnson – 79 (T-36th)
· Nathan Auffut – 80 (T-40th)
· Jaxson Fullerton – 80 (T-40th)
· Tyler Bartels – 88 (57th)
The second round of the tournament is slated to tee off with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. CT on Sunday. The action will shift to Sand Creek Station Golf Course in Newton, Kan.
Hagerbaumer, Dawgs move up to third on final day of Bethel Invite Apr. 3, 2022
NEWTON, Kan. – This was the finest work so far this spring for Concordia University Men’s Golf. The Bulldogs followed up their lowest team score of the spring on Saturday with another solid performance while moving up from fifth place after round one into third place (out of 10) at the close of the Bethel College Invite. The two-day event (April 2-3) was staged at Hesston Golf Park in Hesston, Kan., in round one before shifting to Sand Creek Golf Course in Newton, Kan., for round two.
Head Coach Brett Muller brought two teams of five down to Kansas. The ‘A’ squad shot a two-round total of 292-299–591. That put Concordia behind only Dodge City Community College and Southeast Community College.
“I’m proud of the way the guys played the last two days,” Muller said. “Yesterday at Hesston, we took advantage of the nice day and minimal wind and shot our best team score of the spring. Today was a bit cooler and the wind really picked up later in the round. It was nice to see the team finish another solid round. Jake (Hagerbaumer) and Justin (Webert) both played well the last couple days. As a team we hope to continue this momentum into the Hastings Invite next week.”
Typically, the Bulldogs have been led at the top of the lineup by the likes of Drew D’Ercole and Ivan Yabut. At least for this weekend, Hagerbaumer and Webert stood out as the top Dawgs. A native of Hooper, Neb., Hagerbaumer shot a two-day score of 72-72–143 (+1) and placed in a tie for seventh out of 65 golfers. The result marked Hagerbaumer’s second top 10 finish of the season (also placed ninth at the Siouxland Invite). Meanwhile, Webert finished just off the top 10 at 75-73–148 (T-11th).
Yabut and D’Ercole were next in line. Yabut turned in a score of 72-77–149 (T-14th) while D’Ercole carded a 73-77–150 (T-18th). Rounding out the ‘A’ grouping was Jacob Woodmancy (80-81–161; T-37th). D’Ercole and Yabut were coming off top 10 placements at the Doane Spring Invite.
Gavin Buttshaw led the way for the second grouping with a total of 76-78–154 (T-26th). He was followed by Jaxson Fullerton (80-78–158; T-28th), Taylor Johnson (79-83–162; T-39th), Nathan Auffut (80-85–165; T-44th) and Tyler Bartels (88-92–180; 58th). As a group, the ‘B’ team carded a score of 315-324–639 and placed eighth.
The Bulldogs will wait until the Hastings Bronco Invite on April 11-12 to return to action. That event will be held at Lochland Country Club in Hastings, Neb. There are two more two-day events left prior to the GPAC Championships on April 22-23.
Hagerbaumer earns GPAC Golfer of the Week honors Apr. 6, 2022
SEWARD, Neb. – After pacing Concordia University Men’s Golf at last week’s Bethel Spring Invitational, Jake Hagerbaumer has been named the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Golfer of the Week, as announced by the conference on Wednesday (April 6). Hagerbaumer is the first Bulldog golfer to garner the conference weekly award during the 2021-22 season. He is the program’s first GPAC Golfer of the Week since Nolan Zikas was honored on Sept. 19, 2018.
A native of Hooper, Neb., Hagerbaumer notched his second top 10 tournament place finish of the season while tying for seventh out of 65 competitors at the Bethel Invite. Hagerbaumer shot a two-round score of 72-72–144 (+1) and placed seven strokes behind the tournament champion. With the two 72s, Hagerbaumer was two strokes shy of his collegiate career low of 70 at the Siouxland Invite back in the fall. Over eight events (16 rounds) during the 2021-22 campaign, Hagerbaumer has shot an average of 77.9. Hagerbaumer came to Head Coach Brett Muller’s program this past fall via Logan View High School.
Hagerbaumer and the Bulldogs will return to action next Monday and Tuesday (April 11-12) at the Hastings Bronco Invite, which will be held at Lochland Country Club in Hastings, Neb.
Yabut tied for first, Bulldogs in third after day one of Hastings Invite Apr. 11, 2022
HASTINGS, Neb. – It was a fine first day of the Hastings Invitational as Ivan Yabut shot one under par and the Concordia University Men’s Golf team carded the third lowest score among 10 teams in the field. Three Bulldogs shot 76 or lower on Monday (April 11) while contributing to a team score of 301. Concordia will attempt to catch the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma (291) and Hastings (293) in round two on Tuesday.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad returned to action for the first time since placing fifth at the Bethel Spring Invitational (April 2-3). The Bulldogs entered the week averaging a team score of 303.6.
Yabut will enter day two tied with two others atop an individual leaderboard of 63 golfers. Not far behind Yabut’s 71 were teammates Justin Webert (tied for fourth place) and Drew D’Ercole (tied for 15th place) who shot scores of 72 and 76, respectively. The performance on Monday marked the fourth time that Yabut has turned in a score of 71 or lower during the 2021-22 season. Fourteen competitors shot 75 or better in round one of the Hastings Invite, which is being held at Lochland Country Club.
The rest of the Concordia ‘A’ team featured Jake Hagerbaumer (82; T-34th) and Gavin Buttshaw (87; T-50th). Hagerbaumer was named the GPAC Golfer of the Week on April 6. Meanwhile, the Bulldog ‘B’ team shot a score of 324 and is in sixth place. The ‘B’ group is made up of Jacob Woodmancy (77; 19th), Taylor Johnson (79; T-22nd), Josh D’Ercole (83; T-36th), Jaxson Fullerton (84; T-40th) and Nate Auffet (88; 52nd).
Round two will begin with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. CT on Tuesday from Lochland Country Club. The event includes both a men’s and women's tournament. Live results can be followed by visiting https://www.golfgenius.com/ or the Golf Genius app and by using the GGID of HCSPRINGINVITE22.
Yabut makes championship push as Concordia places fifth in Hastings Apr. 12, 2022
HASTINGS, Neb. – The tournament championship push for Ivan Yabut came down to a playoff on Tuesday (April 12) as the Concordia University Men’s Golf team wrapped up the second and final round of the Hastings Invitational. Yabut came up short in his bid for a first career tournament championship. He tied for first in a field 63 golfers (10 teams) that played all 36 holes of the event at Lochland Country Club in Hastings. As a team, the Bulldog ‘A’ group placed fifth.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s ‘A’ squad shot a two-round score of 301-326–627. Concordia’s ‘B’ team placed sixth with total of 323-323–646.
“After Ivan today, we weren’t able to get anyone else in the ‘A’ group under 80,” Muller said. “That hurts your team score when you don’t have consistency one through four. But Ivan played solid both days. He didn’t make a lot of birdies, but he avoided the big number. That was huge for him the last two days. The playoff was pretty exciting with a lot of people cheering.”
A native of Omaha, Yabut’s first-place tie marked his best-ever placement in his collegiate career. Earlier this season, Yabut had turned in place finishes of third, fifth and sixth at separate events. His score of 71-76–147 (+3) at the Hastings Invite exactly equaled the performance of University of Science & Arts (Okla.)’s Caleb Smith. Three others in the tournament finished two strokes back. For Yabut, the two-round total of 147 tied for his third lowest score at a two-day event in 2021-22.
Teammates Justin Webert (72-85–157) and Jacob Woodmancy (77-81–158) weren’t far from joining Yabut in the top 10. Webert and Woodmancy placed 14th and 15th, respectively. It took a score of 154 or lower to earn a top 10 placement. Woodmancy was the standout for the ‘B’ team. In addition to Yabut and Webert, the ‘A’ team included Drew D’Ercole (76-83–159; T-18th), Jake Hagerbaumer (82-83–165; T-34th) and Gavin Buttshaw (87-84-171; 46th).
Four other golfers represented the Bulldogs in Hastings: Taylor Johnson (79-82–161; T-22nd), Jaxson Fullerton (84-81–165; T-34th), Nate Auffut (88-79–167; 40th) and Josh D’Ercole (83-87–170; T-44th). Between the two rounds, Concordia competitors combined for seven scores in the 70s.
A week earlier, with better conditions, the Bulldogs shot a score of 292-299–591 at the Bethel Spring Invitational and placed fifth out of 12 teams. The team average coming into this week was 303.6.
As the final event prior to the spring portion of the GPAC Championships, the Bulldogs will compete at the GPAC Preview hosted by Briar Cliff next Monday and Tuesday (April 18-19). The first day of action will be held at The Bluffs Golf Course in Vermillion, S.D., before play shifts to Two Rivers Golf Club for day two.
Tournament Preview: 2022 GPAC men's golf spring championships Apr. 19, 2022
SEWARD, Neb. – The conclusion to the 2021-22 GPAC Men’s Golf Championships is coming up this weekend as the spring portion of the event unfolds at The Bluffs Golf Course in Vermillion, S.D. The action is slated to get started at 10 a.m. CT on both Friday and Saturday. Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad hopes to move up from sixth place, where it stands after two fall rounds that were held at Indian Creek Golf Course in Elkhorn, Neb.
2022 GPAC Men’s Golf Championship https://www.golfgenius.com/ (GGID = 2122MGPAC)GPAC Men’s Golf webpage
By the numbers
· Over the first two rounds of GPAC golf (Sept. 27-28), the Concordia University Men’s Golf team shot a total of 298-308–606. Currently, the Bulldogs are looking up at Morningside (278-293–571), Briar Cliff (300-288–588), Midland (290-298–588), Northwestern (297-303–600) and Doane (301-301–602). The Bulldogs are poised to move up from their 2020-21 conference finish of ninth (342-330-315-321–1,308). Drew D’Ercole was the team’s top individual finisher last season when he placed 21st (80-82-70-85–317). He was named Honorable Mention All-GPAC.
· After tying for first place last week at the Hastings Invite, Ivan Yabut has his sights set on placing in the top 10 of the GPAC and perhaps even taking a shot at the title. The Omaha native currently sits in sixth place in the conference after he shot a two-round score of 71-74–145 (+1). The top five on the leaderboard are Morningside’s Mason Weeks (141), Sam Storey (141), and Xan Milligan (142), Dordt’s Freddy Bullock (144) and Midland’s Peyton Koch (144).
· Next in line for the Bulldogs on the GPAC leaderboard are Justin Webert (81-72–153; T-29th), Jack Williams (74-80–154; T-31st), Drew D’Ercole (77-82–159; T-41st) and Jake Hagerbaumer (76-84–160; T-43rd). Last season, D’Ercole placed 21st while Yabut placed 31st (87-86-80-75–328). Jayden Neal (who graduated) also qualified for the overall leaderboard in 2020-21 and finished 38th (90-83-85-88–346).
· In terms of scoring average throughout nine events (18 rounds) in 2021-22, the top five Concordia performers have been Yabut (75.0), D’Ercole (75.7), Webert (77.1), Hagerbaumer (78.4) and Jacob Woodmancy (79.7). The team’s season average rests at 304.7 with eight rounds of scores below 300. Yabut has finished in the top five of three tournaments and inside the top 10 of five events. D’Ercole has three top 10s to his credit. Back in the fall, Yabut broke a program record for lowest single-round score when he carded a seven-under-par 65 at the Siouxland Invite.
NAIA Men’s Golf National Championship
National qualifiers that come out of the conference championships will continue their seasons with the 2022 NAIA Men’s Golf National Championship set to be played in Silvis, Ill., May 17-20. For more information on the national tournament, click HERE .
Bulldogs in sixth, Yabut three strokes out of first Apr. 22, 2022
VERMILLION, S.D. – Following three rounds of conference championship action, the Concordia University Men’s Golf team stands in sixth place in the GPAC standings. The Bulldogs carded a team score of 313 on Friday (April 22) while in action at The Bluffs Golf Course in Vermillion, S.D. Individually, Ivan Yabut remains in the hunt for a conference championship after he turned in a two-over-par 74 in the latest round.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad has carded a three-round score of 298-308-313–919. The top five in the GPAC standings are Morningside (278-293-298–869), Midland (290-298-292–880), Briar Cliff (300-288-302–890), Doane (301-301-308–910) and Northwestern (297-303-315–915).
The school record holder for the best-ever single-round score, Yabut still has a shot at winning a conference championship and earning a bid to nationals. He will enter the fourth and final round tied for fifth with a three-round total of 71-74-74–219. Currently tied for first are two Morningside competitors – Mason Weeks and Sam Story, who have a three-round total of 216.
Next for the Bulldogs on the overall leaderboard are Justin Webert (81-72-78–231; T-22nd), Drew D’Ercole (77-82-78–237; T-34th) and Jake Hagerbaumer (76-84-84–244; T-37th). Also on Friday, Jacob Woodmancy carded a score of 83. Back in the fall, Jack Williams contributed to the team score with a two-round total of 74-80–154.
Concordia is working on moving up from its ninth-place finish from the 2020-21 season. A year ago, D’Ercole placed 21st overall and was recognized as an Honorable Mention All-GPAC award winner.
Round four of the conference championships will get started at 10 a.m. CT from The Bluffs. Live scoring can be found via the Golf Genus app (https://www.golfgenius.com/ ) while using the Golf Genius ID of 2122MGPAC.
Round four wiped out by high winds; Bulldogs finish sixth in GPAC Apr. 23, 2022
VERMILLION, S.D. – The fourth and final round of the GPAC Championships got underway on Saturday (April 23) morning, but high winds halted play and then led to the cancellation of the round. As a consequence, the conference declared the results final based on the first 54 holes of the tournament. That left the Concordia University Men’s Golf team in sixth place with the help of top individual Ivan Yabut, who tied for fifth in the GPAC.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad turned in a three-round conference total of 298-308-313–919. The first two rounds were held back in the fall at Indian Creek Golf Course in Elkhorn, Neb., while the third and final round took place at The Bluffs Golf Course in Vermillion, S.D.
“It was a definite improvement from last year,” Muller said. “We set the school record for season scoring average as a team so that’s a huge compliment to the guys. Looking at the roster we brought for this tournament, we traveled six underclassmen so we have everybody coming back and should be able to build upon this year’s finish. The conference, top to bottom, gets more and more competitive every year.”
Unfortunately, Yabut did not get a chance to make a final round run at a conference title. He started the day three strokes behind co-GPAC champions Sam Storey and Mason Weeks of Morningside. However, Yabut can now lay claim to the best-ever overall conference finish by a Bulldog men’s golfer in GPAC era history (2000-present). While shooting a three-round total of 71-74-74–219 (+3) and tying for fifth, Yabut outperformed other Concordia top 10 placements turned in by the likes of Nolan Zikas (ninth in 2015-16) and Shawn Rodehorst (eighth in 2012-13).
Said Muller, “Ivan was right there in the hunt. Being three shots back with 18 holes left, you never know what can happen. With the conditions we’ve had the past couple of days, it’s anybody’s game at that point. He was looking forward to going out and competing and giving himself a chance to win the conference title.”
Next best for the Bulldogs on the 2021-22 GPAC leaderboard was freshman Justin Webert, who shot 81-72-78–231 and placed in a tie for 22nd (out of 44 competitors who played all three rounds). Others who qualified for the overall leaderboard were Drew D’Ercole (77-82-78–237; T-34th) and Jake Hagerbaumer (76-84-84–244; T-37th). The final spot in the lineup this weekend was held down by Jacob Woodmancy, who shot an 83 on Friday. Jack Williams also competed in the two fall conference rounds and shot 74-80–154.
As mentioned by Muller, the 2021-22 Concordia team set a new program standard for lowest single-season scoring average. That record is now 305.1. The previous program standard was 306.9 by the 2017-18 squad led by Zikas. As for Yabut, he finished the season with a team low scoring average of 74.9.
The varsity season is in the books for Bulldog Men’s Golf. The program did add a junior varsity tournament to the schedule. Select Concordia golfers will be in action at the Union College Tournament at Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln, Neb., on April 29. The GPAC representative at the 2022 NAIA Men’s Golf National Championship will be conference champion Morningside.
Yabut, D’Ercole claim all-conference awards May 13, 2022
SEWARD, Neb. – For their efforts at the 2021-22 GPAC Championships, Ivan Yabut and Drew D’Ercole have officially been honored as all-conference performers. Yabut secured All-GPAC accolades with a fifth-place conference finish while D’Ercole was chosen by league coaches as an honorable mention selection. The All-GPAC men’s golf teams were released by the league on Friday (May 13).
Yabut owns the distinction of having placed higher at the GPAC Championships than any other player in Concordia University Men’s golf history. His tie for fifth in the conference came courtesy of a three-round total of 71-74-74–219. The Omaha native and Burke High School alum finished three strokes out of first place. During the 2021-22 season as a whole, Yabut paced the Bulldogs with a scoring average of 74.9 over nine events (19 rounds). Yabut placed inside the top five of four tournaments and inside the top 10 in five events. Back in the fall, Yabut broke the program’s 18-hole record when he shot a seven-under-par 65 at the Siouxland Invite. Yabut moved up to fifth in the GPAC this season after placing 31st in 2020-21. Yabut owns a career scoring average of 77.3 in 35 rounds.
Also an NAIA Scholar-Athlete, D’Ercole has garnered honorable mention all-conference status for the second year in a row. The Papillion, Neb., native and Papillion La-Vista South High School alum placed in a tie for 34th in the GPAC in 2021-22 with a three-round score of 77-82-78–237. The year prior, D’Ercole finished 21st in the conference. His 2021-22 season featured three top-10 tournament placements and a scoring average of 75.8. D’Ercole’s season low was a 71 on three separate occasions. In 46 career collegiate rounds, D’Ercole sports an 18-hole average of 77.2.
D'Ercole, Yabut honored as All-America Scholars Jul. 21, 2022
SEWARD, Neb. – For their work in the classroom and on the golf course, Drew D’Ercole and Ivan Yabut were named 2021-22 Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars on Thursday (July 21) by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). D’Ercole and Yabut starred for Concordia University Men’s Golf this past season as all-conference performers. Sixty athletes from 19 schools earned 2021-22 All-America Scholar honors.
To be eligible for Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar nomination, an individual must be a sophomore, junior or senior both academically and athletically in NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA, or receiving their Associate’s Degree and in their last year of athletic eligibility in the NJCAA. In addition, they must participate in 50 percent of their team’s competitive rounds, have a stroke average under 76.0 in NCAA Division I, under 78.0 in NCAA Division II, under 79.0 in NCAA Division III, under 78.0 in NAIA, and under 77.0 in NJCAA, and maintain a minimum cumulative career grade-point average of 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at his college or university.
A native of Papillion, Neb., D’Ercole studies Recreation and Sport Studies and Business Administration. This past season, D’Ercole competed in all nine events (19 rounds) and posted an average round of 75.8. He placed in the top 10 of three tournaments: third at the Mount Marty Fall Invite, seventh at the Blue River Classic and ninth at the Doane Spring Invite. D’Ercole carded a season low of 71 in three separate rounds and shot scores of 74 or lower seven times. His career scoring average as a Bulldog stands at 77.2.
A native of Omaha, Neb., Yabut studies Psychology. During the 2021-22 season, Yabut competed in all nine events (19 rounds) and notched a scoring average of 74.9. He finished in a tie for fifth at the GPAC Championships for the highest ever GPAC placement in Concordia Men’s Golf history. Yabut’s three-round conference score rested at 71-74-74–219. He placed in the top 10 of four tournaments: second at the Hastings Spring Invite, third at the Mount Marty Invite, fifth at the Siouxland Invite and fifth at the GPAC Championships. His career low of seven-under-par 65 in round one of the Siouxland Invite represented a program record for a single round. Yabut carries a career scoring average of 77.3.