Johnnies win third consecutive MIAC title

The SJU golf team earned its 20th trip to the NCAA Division III Championships next spring with their third straight MIAC Championship win over two weeks ago on Oct. 1 through Oct. 3.

The Johnnies, who are ranked 21st nationally in Division III, battled Oct. 1 and Oct. 2, but found themselves 10 strokes behind Bethel and in second place.

“The first two days of the tournament went relatively well,” SJU junior Nate Loxtercamp said. “Although we would have wanted to be leading the tournament, as a team we kept ourselves within striking distance of Bethel.”

Despite being down a few strokes, the team’s confidence was never lost.

“I have unwavering confidence in them and if they play well, we will most likely win… our athletes are tough and talented,” Head Coach Bob Alpers said.

The tides quickly turned on Oct. 3 when SJU came out roaring, going eight-under par through the first four holes, while Bethel went five over during that stretch, giving SJU the lead. The Johnnies would end up shooting a three-under par round while Bethel shot a 20-over par to give SJU the victory. SJU ended the tournament with an 870 (+6), 13 strokes ahead of Bethel who finished with an 883 (+19). Gustavus Adolphus (+33, 897) and Carleton (+38, 902) finished in third and fourth, respectively.

“There was never any panic within the group. We knew that our best was yet to come, and if we played well no one could beat us. It definitely freed me up seeing that we got off to such a great start in the final round,” sophomore Andrew Boemer said. “I checked the leaderboard after my fourth hole and saw the 10-shot deficit turn into a four-shot lead.”

Four of the five Johnnies finished in the top 10 to earn the All-MIAC honors. Loxtercamp led the Johnnies with a score of 210 (-6) and came in first place. He finished second in last year’s tournament, earned his third straight All-MIAC honor. Loxtercamp has been consistently solid for the Johnnies this fall. The junior averaged a score of 72.9 in 13 rounds of golf this fall, which was good for third-best in the MIAC. He finished between teammates Sam Berger (72.8) and Blake Schuler (73.0).

“Trusting my game and staying patient with the golf courses we play,” Loxtercamp said when asked how he has been one of the best golfers in the MIAC. “I aim for the middle of the green and not the pin, unless I feel really confident in the shot and like the yardage. No one is going to play an entire round with no mistakes, so I take the mistakes as they come while knowing I can make some birdies and still post a solid score.”

Boemer finished in third with a 218 (+2) while Berger shot a 219 (+3) to earn his third straight top-four finish at the MIAC Championships. Schuler tied for eighth place with a 223 (+7) and senior Thomas Gutzmer recorded a 227 (+11) which was good for 16th. The Johnnies will head to Arizona for spring break before travelling to Illinois early in April. They will then head to the Gustavus Adolphus Invitational and host the SJU Spring Invitational. Later, the Johnnies will take part in the Division III Championship May 16-19.

“I think that the comeback win at Bunker Hills was definitely a sense of reassurance in the belief we had in ourselves throughout that week,” Boemer said. “We know that when we are at our best, we can beat anyone in the nation as long as we believe that we will do great things.