OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan. 30, 2020) – The move into NCAA Division II hasn't always been smooth for Oklahoma Christian's men's golf program. Accustomed to a high level of success at the NAIA and National Christian College Athletic Association levels, winning has been significantly more difficult in the NCAA.
That said, it appears the Eagles' transition into becoming a consistently successful Division II program took a major step forward during the 2019 fall season. OC won three of the four tournaments in which it competed and did not lose to a Division II team, which helped the Eagles soar to No. 6 in the most recent Division II coaches' poll and No. 3 in the Golfstat.com Relative Rankings.
Coach
David Lynn thinks his team needs to make a few deep postseason runs in the coming years to legitimately claim status as a Division II power, but he's extremely confident in his current squad, having put together a busy, challenging spring schedule he hopes will prepare the Eagles for the postseason.
On paper, the Eagles have the makings of a national contender. They're deep, with eight different players starting in at least one team tournament win this fall. They're experienced, with four players having played in a collegiate postseason event. They have outstanding team chemistry. They also have a couple of proven individual standouts in senior
Trevor Norby and junior
Andres Brictson, who each have won three collegiate tournaments.
"I'm definitely encouraged by how well we played at times during the (fall) semester and encouraged by the number of guys that were in the mix," Lynn said. "I can never remember having three tournament victories in the fall with three different lineups. Right now, we're just eight deep. Because of the eight guys, I know there is going to be some changes in the lineup.
"The recipe is there to do some good things, but we've got to put it together this spring as well. I don't have any fear in that. I'm really excited with anticipation."
Norby, a third-team All-American last season, owns a scoring average of 71.33 over nine rounds in the 2019-20 season, while Brictson has also been sensational, ranking 10th in Division II with a scoring average of 70.60 over 10 rounds. Between them, they've recorded 14 rounds at even par or better. Each recorded an individual win during the fall.
There's plenty of other talent up and down the OC roster. Sophomore
Alejandro Armijo recorded three top-10 individual finishes in four fall tournaments and has a 72.50 scoring average over 10 rounds. Junior
Alex Motes had a top-10 finish in a tournament in which the Eagles were the only Division II team competing against 12 Division I squads.
Then there's an impressive freshman class.
Said Powers has two top-10 finishes,
Mateo Pulcini has one and
Ransen Turner and
Walker LaRue have three top-20 showings between them. The battle for starting spots from tournament to tournament will be fierce, and Lynn wouldn't have it any other way, as he believes strong intrasquad competition only makes the team better.
The lineup for OC's first spring tournament – the California State-San Marcos Fujikura Classic at Shadowridge Golf Club in Vista, Calif., which will start Monday – will include LaRue, Brictson, Norby, Armijo and Powers.
Lynn has entered the Eagles in six tournaments this spring, during which they'll see top competition from both the South Central and West Regions, as well as the occasional powerhouse squad from other parts of the country.
After the trip to the Cal State-San Marcos tournament – which will include strong West Coast teams – the Eagles will head south to play in a tournament hosted by another Lone Star Conference power, St. Mary's (Texas), in San Antonio, before returning to the Las Vegas Desert Invitational, which routinely draws a strong national field.
A couple of staples on the OC schedule – the Broncho Invitational at nearby Oak Tree Country Club in Edmond, then the St. Edward's Invitational in Austin, Texas – will come next. Following that will be the South Central-West Regional Preview at University Golf Course in Las Cruces, N.M., where the Super Regional tournament will be played in May. It will be the Eagles' sixth tournament in nine weeks.
After traversing that schedule, the Eagles – who closed out the Heartland Conference by winning that league's final championship tournament last April – will play in their first Lone Star Conference Championship at Tierra Verde Golf Club in Arlington, Texas, from April 13-15. The LSC is loaded with ranked squads including No. 11 St. Mary's, No. 18 Midwestern State (Texas) and No. 21 St. Edward's (Texas).
Then it's hopefully off to the NCAA Division II postseason, as the Eagles look to advance through regionals to the Division II Championship for the first time since 2016. This year's national tournament will be played at the Country Club of St. Albans in St. Albans, Mo.
"That's a lot of golf," Lynn said. "It will be a highly competitive schedule and our league is unbelievable this year. There won't be any letup. You've got to bring it every week, which we did in the fall. I look forward to the long, steady climb up the mountain that we've got this semester. We'll look to peak at the end."
