PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Montana Tech's men's golf team played to a third-place team finish in Wednesday's final round of the Frontier Conference/California Pacific Conference NAIA Qualifier at Papago Golf Club.
The Orediggers finished the 54-hole tournament at 25-over-par 889, finishing five strokes behind runner-up Simpson and 26 behind champion and No. 18-ranked Rocky Mountain.
Sophomore Joe McGreevey led the way for Montana Tech for a second-straight day. The Helena native shot 3-under-par 69 around the 6,800-yard, par-72 track at Papago, including a spectacular 30 on the back nine of the final round. He finished fifth to lead the team.
"I don't know what got into Joe McGreevey today on the back nine, but it was super impressive," Tech head coach Sean Ryan said. "I'm so proud of the way he battled back from a tough first round to finish on the all-tournament team."
McGreevey logged a three-round score of 2-over 218 (77-72-69). Freshman Carson Hupka followed a stroke behind at 70-73-76—219 for sixth.
"Carson got off to a great start and then just had some bad breaks," said Ryan, "but to finish in the conference championship at 3-over-par as a freshman is really impressive. He's going to be a player going forward."
The rest of the Orediggers all finished in the top 15; sophomore Tyler Avery took 11th (75-77-75—227), and senior Gabe Witham and junior Joe Opitz both shot 230 to finish in a lock for 13th.
"I thought we grinded out some really solid and respectable rounds today," Ryan said. "Obviously I wish we all would have taken it a little bit lower, but sometimes that just doesn't happen. But we absorbed bad bounces and tough luck and ended up shooting our lowest round of the tournament today."
Rocky Mountain captured the team title, and the Battlin' Bears Kristjan Burkelca won medalist honors with an incredible 7-under 209 for the tournament. Wednesday's was the Orediggers' lowest round of the tournament at 295.
"It was really special to have so many parents, friends, and family down to support our student-athletes," Ryan said. "We do really have some of the best kids you'll ever meet, and they are very easy to root for.
"We were really young," he added. "We're really talented, and the future is really bright for this team of young men."
In order to receive an automatic berth to the NAIA national championship, the Frontier and Cal Pac conferences cooperated to meet the minimum number of six participating teams.
Visit Montana Tech athletics' home online, GoDiggers.com, anytime for up-to-the-minute news and coverage of the Orediggers. Give Montana Tech athletics a like on Facebook, and follow the Orediggers on X and Instagram at @DiggerAthletics.
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