The Seahawk

Issue date: 3/17/10 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Courtesy Joe Browning Josh Brock and the Rest of the Seahawks celebrate at the Landfall Country Club

The University of North Carolina Wilmington men's golf team finished in third place at the first annual Seahawk Intercollegiate Feb. 28 through March 2. The tournament was held at the Country Club of Landfall. The Seahawks were joined by Augusta State, Davidson, Drexel, East Carolina, Georgia State, James Madison, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia Commonwealth, William & Mary, and Wake Forest.

The tournament had seven teams ranked in the top 100 in the nation. The two top-ranked teams were Augusta State ranked as sixth, and South Carolina ranked seventh. Other ranked teams included Wake Forest, North Carolina, VCU, UNCW, and East Carolina. Augusta State won the event, South Carolina finishing second, one stroke ahead of the Seahawks.

Men's golf coach Matt Clark set up the event and, other than the rain out Tuesday, March 2, the tournament was a success. "The hardest part about setting up the tournament is predicting the weather in Wilmington during the winter," Clark said. There were many challenges in tournament set-up, and the length of the Country Club of Landfall left many options open. "I need to make sure the course is set-up so it is playable and, with the unpredictable weather, I have had to come up with several set-ups for the golf course," said Clark.

This was the first event of the spring season for the Seahawks and an enormous opportunity for them to play against solid competition. "My guys have been working extremely hard, and I believe we are ready to start the spring season. They are very comfortable here at Country Club of Landfall so I would imagine that will show up in their performance this week," said Clark.

The Seahawk golf team is led by senior Derek Wallace and junior Josh Brock, and each played very well in the fall season. Wallace carried a 72.8 scoring average into the Seahawk Intercollegiate and finished strong. Wallace finished eleventh with two rounds of 73 on the Pete Dye-designed course. There was some stiff competition for the six-man team. "There are some good teams here this year. We have already beat Wake Forest in the fall, and we feel confident we can win this tournament," said Wallace.

Wallace has been battling neck and back injuries this year, but he was able to pull it all together for two strong rounds. Even though he could not break 70, his two rounds were impressive considering the rainy and windy conditions.

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