They were challenged early in the final round, but by the end of the day the Cleveland State men's golf team and Youngstown State women's team had claimed 2015 Horizon League Golf Championships.
On the individual side, Youngstown State's Emily Dixon made up an eight-shot deficit, shooting a 72 in the final round to claim women's medalist honors by one-shot over Oakland's Morgan Smith. Dixon's 72 was the low score in the final round as she carded a three-round score of 75-77-72--224 to win. Smith finished second with a scorecard of 71-73-81--225.On the men's side, Oakland's Evan Bowser and Michael Balcar were tied with scores of 220 after three rounds to force a playoff. The two were still square after one playoff hole, but Bowser holed his five-foot putt for par on the second playoff hole on 18 to win individual medalist honors. Bowser finished with a scorecard of 73-71-76--220, while Balcar had a scorecard of +-
YSU placed three players on the All-Tournament team in winning the event. Dixon was joined by Allison Mitzel and Aislynn Merling on the team. Mitzel finished in a tie for third with a three-day total of 232, while Merling finished in fifth with a three-round card of 233. Emily Rohanna (12th) and Courtney Shutt (13th) rounded out the Penguins lineup.
The Cleveland State men's team rebounded from a slow start to post a 309 in the third round and win by 10 shots over second-place Oakland. The Vikings were led by Balcar and Mitchell Moore who carded a 224 to finish the tournament in fourth place. Paul Minko finished with a three-day total of 231 to finish in a tie for 12th, while Joey Krecic (t-19th) and Patrick Luth (t-28th) rounded out the Vikings lineup.
Oakland was in second place after the first round and stayed their after the second and final rounds. Besides Bowser, Jacob Johnson (228, t-7th) and Jake Kneen (235, t-17th) led the Golden Grizzlies.
Wright State finished in third with a score of 917, while Valparaiso finished fourth with a score of 920, Youngstown State fifth with 924, Green Bay sixth with a 947 and Detroit rounded out the field in seventh with a score of 948.
Women's Team Standings
1. Youngstown State - 308-306-312--926
2. Oakland - 308-310-319--937
3. Cleveland State - 324-336-322--982
T4. Green Bay - 327-322-334--983
T4. UIC - 336-321-326--983
6. Valparaiso - 334-319-334--987
7. Detroit - 337-333-332--1002
Men's Team Standings
1. Cleveland State - 293-304-309--906
2. Oakland - 294-305-317--916
3. Wright State - 305-301-311--917
4. Valparaiso - 306-304-310--920
5. Youngstown State - 310-303-311--924
6. Green Bay - 314-305-328--947
7. Detroit - 317-309-322--948
Women's Individual Top-7 (All-Tournament Team)
1. Emily Dixon, Youngstown State - 75-77-72--224
2. Morgan Smith, Oakland - 71-73-81--225
T3. Sarah Thompson, Detroit - 76-79-77--232
T3. Allison Mitzel, Youngstown State - 77-74-81--232
5. Aislynn Merling, Youngstown State - 78-77-78--233
T6. Allyson Hackman, Cleveland State - 74-82-78--234
T6. Elle Nichols, Oakland - 75-79-80--234
Men's Individual Top-7 (All-Tournament Team)
T1. Evan Bowser, Oakland - 73-71-76--220
T1. Michael Balcar, Cleveland State - 73-73-74--220
3. Nick Seitz, Valparaiso - 74-73-76--223
4. Mitchell Moore, Cleveland State - 72-76-76--224
5. Brandon Pluchinsky, Youngstown State - 79-70-77--226
6. Peter Webb, Valparaiso - 77-74-76--227
T5. Ryan Wenzler, Wright State - 72-77--149
