IUP Story
Final Results
Blaine, Wash. - Gavin Smith of IUP rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to defeat Kelbi Lee of Ferris State and win the individual title at the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships held at the Loomis Trail Golf Club. His win gives both IUP and the PSAC its first-ever individual champion in men's golf.
With his win, Smith not only becomes the PSAC's first-ever men's golf individual medalist at NCAAs, but he is also just the fifth-ever golfer from a traditionally northern school to win the individual title
since the NCAA began the Division II golf championships in 1963, and the first since 1984. Since the last northern individual to win the title, Greg Cate of Central Connecticut State in 1984, the individual champions have come from just seven different states over the last 25 years: Georgia, Florida, California, Texas, Oklahoma, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Other previous individual champions from traditionally northern schools include John Kurzynowski of Aquinas (Mich.) (1964), Mike Spang of Portland State (1969), Jim Hilderbrand of Ashland (1972) and the aforementioned Cate of CCSU (1984).
Smith's individual finish helped the Crimson Hawks finish in 12th place as a team. The Crimson Hawks, who won the PSAC championship in the fall and the NCAA regional championship in early May, match the best-ever finish for the program under head coach Fred Joseph.