Men's Golf 1998 Recap - Guilford College

Following a fifth-place showing at the 1997 NCAA Division III Championship, the Quakers received a number-three ranking in the Golf Coaches Association of America Division III preseason poll. Guilford lived up to its billing early in the campaign as 1997 second team All-America Bo Reitz '99 brought home his first collegiate medalist honor with a career-low 68 at the rain-shortened Old North State Invitational. Reitz’ play and a 73 from freshman Clint Fields lifted the Quakers to a second-place finish at the 14-team event. Guilford followed with another second-place finish a few days later in its own Tom O’Briant Memorial at the Cardinal in Greensboro. Ty Saloma '98 led the Quakers with a two-round 147. Guilford closed out the fall portion of its schedule by taking fourth-place at Greensboro College’s Aubrey Apple Invitational and seventh-place at the TaylorMade/Gordin Collegiate Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC. The Gordin features the top 12 teams and individuals from the 1997 NCAA Division III Championship.

The club was ranked sixth in the final fall rankings, trailing defending national champion Methodist, Greensboro, Skidmore, Otterbein and Gustavus Adolphus.

In the spring, the Quakers advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships for the seventh consecutive season and posted an 11th-place finish in the 23-team field. Guilford fired a 1209, the 10th-lowest 72-hole score in team history, but finished well behind the nine-under-par 1143 shot by Methodist. The Monarchs took the top three individual places and captured their eighth NCAA title in the last nine years. Bo Reitz '99 shot a four-over-par 292 to take 11th place among the 120-player individual field and capture second team All-America honors for the second straight year. He becomes Guilford's ninth two-time golf All-American. Matt Caruso '98 missed third team All-America honors by one stroke, finishing 21st with a 296. Other Guilford contestants included: Saloma (T53, 306), John Caruso '99 (pictured) (T92, 317) and Fields (T108, 325). Guilford placed four golfers among the top seven individuals at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championships in Glen Allen, VA, to win their first league crown since 1993. Reitz took medalist honors with a six-over 150, one stroke in front of Matt Caruso. Fields was three strokes off the pace and finished third individually with a 153. Reitz, Matt Caruso, and Fields received All-Tournament honors for their top-six performances. Nathan Stambaugh '00 missed all-tournament honors by one stroke with a 160. For leading the Quakers to their third ODAC crown in seven years, the conference’s coaches picked Jensen as the league’s Coach of the Year, also for the third time in seven years. Reitz, Matt Caruso, Fields, and Saloma earned All-ODAC recognition.