NIACC places third at home invite
MASON CITY - The NIACC men's golf team shot a 300 and placed third at the NIACC Fall Invitational on Thursday at the Mason City Country Club.
DMACC won the invitational with a 293 and Iowa Lakes was second with a 296.
"We wanted to defend our home course, but we came up a little short (Thursday)," NIACC coach Chris Frenz said. "Austin (Eckenrod) was really good (Thursday) and actually left a few strokes out there, but he's playing really well this fall."
Eckenrod shot a career-best 35-36 71 and placed third in the medalist competition. Iowa Lakes' James Preston was the meet medalist with a 33-37 - 70 and DMACC's Noah Hartman was the runner-up medalist with a 38-32 - 70.
Also for the Trojans, Zach Martin shot a 36-38 - 74, Beau Thompson shot a 40-37 - 77 and Matthew Heinemann shot a 38-40 - 78. Jackson Hamlin shot a 40-41 - 81.
"Zach Martin hit a bit of a slow start," Frenz said, "but he always hangs in there and finished strong.
"Beau and Matthew have been steady this fall and I like what I'm seeing from them. Jackson Hamlin struggled (Thursday) but he'll learn from it and get better."
Playing as individuals for NIACC were Jackson French (39-37 - 76), Charles Lorenz (41-42 - 83) and Peter Stadheim (39-48 - 87).
"It was great to see Jackson French get things going," Frenz said. "He's really been struggling in practice, but proved he belongs with a solid 76."
NIACC returns to action Sept. 20-21 at the Clarke University Fall Classic.
"This team has what it takes," Frenz said. "We'll continue to get better and more consistent."
Team standings - DMACC 293, Iowa Lakes 296, NIACC 300, Iowa Central 305, Hawkeye CC 318, Iowa Lakes II 318, Hawkeye CC II 325, Southwest Tech 342.
