Saint Leo University’s men’s golf team made history on May 21 by claiming the school’s first national championship in any sport by capturing the 2016 NCAA Division II National Championship in Denver, Colorado.
(Courtesy of Saint Leo athletics)
The Lions used a 3-2 score in match play to defeat Chico (California) State, just two days after Saint Leo freshman Hugo Bernard claimed the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Individual Title.
“We got off to a good start, and that makes it easier on the coach and the players,” head coach Chris Greenwood said in a release.
“I didn’t have to say anything special, I just told them to keep doing what they were doing. We didn’t make any changes, just go out and play as aggressive as you can.”
The Lions smashed the 54-hole team record at the NCAA Championships at -26 — 10 strokes under Florida Southern’s mark in 1999 — and followed up with stellar performances in match play.
Saint Leo made it through the quarterfinals and semifinals with wins over Wilmington (Delaware), and Sunshine State Conference foe Lynn University, before facing Chico State in the finals.
