Garden City, Kan. – In what is becoming a spring rite of passage, the No. 10-ranked Friends University Falcons won their fourth straight KCAC Championship today (Apr. 22) at the Buffalo Dunes Golf Course in Garden City, Kan.
The outcome was never in doubt, as the Falcons shot two under par as a team, 36 strokes ahead of second-place Bethany College (+34).
Trinton Nobles, the now three-time KCAC Player of the Year, paced the Falcons and won the individual title with a four-round score of -3. Under head coach Dustin Galyon, the Falcons have now produced the last five KCAC individual champions (Nobles, Tomas Vazquez, Caleb Knight, Gerardo Alemany, Trenton Sutherland).
All five Falcons placed within the top eight, with Bernhard Koster (+2) finishing close behind Nobles in third. Gabriele Romani (+3) and Laken Matthews (+5) came in fifth and sixth, respectively, while Jenson Boyce (+8) wound up tied for the eighth spot.
The Falcons latest conference title came with more top recognition, as Galyon was named KCAC Head Coach of the Year for the fourth time while Koster was named the KCAC Newcomer of the Year and Matthews was selected as the league's top freshman. Prior to the conference tournament, Nobles was named the KCAC Player of the Year for the third straight year along with receiving another first-team All-KCAC selection. Additionally, Romani and Matthews earned first-team All-KCAC honors and Koster was named a second-team honoree. Grant Waggoner was also selected as the Falcons' Champion of Character recipient.
Preparations for the Falcons' fourth consecutive trip to the NAIA National Championship will now begin in earnest, which is set for May 12-15 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill.
