FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The #NSU50 "Top Moments in NSU Athletics History" continues with the 44th moment on the list: Men's golf wins its first-ever NCAA Division II national championship.
May 19, 2012
The top-ranked Nova Southeastern men's golf team captured their first NCAA National Championship at the par-72 Cardinal Club Golf Course in Simpsonville, Kentucky, defeating Chico State in a head-to-head final match, 5-0.
Team members Ben Taylor, Oscar Lengden, Ricardo Celia, Ben Vertz and Mitch Farrer each picked up individual wins for the clean sweep in the match play championship.
The Sharks had finished second overall after three rounds of stroke play, moving onto the quarterfinal round as one of eight teams still alive. They defeated South Carolina-Aiken 4-to-1 in the quarters, and survived Central Oklahoma in the semifinal round by way of a total strokes tiebreaker to advance to the national final.
"Winning the first championship in the men's golf program's history is special," said Director of Athletics Michael Mominey. "Garrett Runion has done a tremendous job in just his first year as the head coach. The players are really the ones who have to get the credit, as the men had a tremendous run winning the Sunshine State Conference Championship on the way to this National Championship. The grind of this particular champion says a lot about the character and the talent of this particular team."
"This is an unbelievable feeling to be a part of the first men's National Championship at Nova Southeastern, said Runion. "Our guys set this goal at the beginning of the season and never stopped believing they could win it. All five of my guys deserve a game ball because everyone contributed in a huge way this week."
After the season, Taylor was honored with the 2012 Jack Nicklaus Award as the DII Collegiate Golfer of the Year, while Lengdèn received the Phil Mickelson Award as the most outstanding freshman in all of DII. Taylor was First Team All-American and SSC Player of the Year; Lengden was SSC Freshman of the Year, and Runion completed the sweep of conference awards with Coach of the Year.
Check back with NSUSharks.com next Tuesday for the next #NSU50 "Top Moments in NSU Athletics History."Moment No. 1: NSU Athletics is Born
Moment No. 2: Knights Chosen as School Mascot
Moment No. 3: Hansley Hired as Director of Athletics
Moment No. 4: Nova Adds Four Sports
Moment No. 5: Nova Joins NAIA
Moment No. 6: Nova Adds Three More Teams
Moment No. 7: Nova Helps Form FIAC
Moment No. 8: Nova Wins First Conference Championship
Moment No. 9: Baseball and Volleyball Win First Conference Titles
Moment No. 10: NSU Adds Softball
Moment No. 11: NSU Adds Women's Soccer and Wins FSC Tournament Championship
Moment No. 12: NSU Names Ray Ferrero Jr. as School's Fifth President
Moment No. 13: NSU Adds Women's Basketball and Wins Conference Title in First Season
Moment No. 14: NSU Jumps to NCAA Division II and Sunshine State Conference
Moment No. 15: Kyle Ruwe Becomes NSU's First NCAA All-American
Moment No. 16: NSU adds Rowing, Tennis and Men's Cross Country
Moment No. 17: NSU Breaks Ground on University Center
Moment No. 18: Rembe Becomes NSU's First Female NCAA All-American
Moment No. 19: NSU Men's Golf Wins First SSC Championship
Moment No. 20: NSU Unveils Sharks as New Mascot
Moment No. 21: NSU Enshrines Inaugural Hall of Fame Class
Moment No. 22: Women's Golfer Garcia Austt Becomes NSU's First-Ever NCAA Player and Freshman of Year
Moment No. 23: NSU Tennis Goes Program-Best 22-3
Moment No. 24: NSU Volleyball Hosts the Inaugural Sharks Classic
Moment No. 25: NSU Begins Outdoor Track and Field Programs
Moment No. 26: NSU Volleyball Earns First-Ever NCAA Postseason Bid
Moment No. 27: NSU Women's Basketball Wins First SSC Championship
Moment No. 28: NSU Wins Women's Division of 2007-08 SSC Mayors' Cup
Moment No. 29: Abdalla Earns Cross Country Program's First SSC Runner of the Year Award
Moment No. 30: NSU Volleyball Wins South Region and Advances to Elite Eight
Moment No. 31: NSU Launches Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Programs
Moment No. 32: NSU Rowing V4 Claims the School's First Individual DII National Championship
Moment No. 33: NSU Brings Home First NCAA National Championship in Women's Golf
Moment No. 34: NSU Baseball Has Four Players Chosen in MLB Draft
Moment No. 35: Mominey Steps Into Full-Time Role as NSU Director of Athletics
Moment No. 36: The NSU Women's Golf Team Goes Back-to-Back
Moment No. 37: Men's Cross Country Qualifies for NCAA Division II National Championship for First Time
Moment No. 38: The Fledgling Men's and Women's Swimming Teams Have Successful First Season
Moment No. 39: Women's Golf Wins Third Straight NCAA National Championship
Moment No. 40: Berger and Freshman Eight Boat Win SSC and National Sportsmanship Award
Moment No. 41: NSU Athletics Receives the NCAA Division II Community Engagement Award
Moment No. 42: Erin Black Wins Swimming's First Ever NCAA DII Individual TitleMoment No. 43: Women's Golf Captures Fourth Straight National Championship
