Chowan claims CIAA golf title
Published 9:22 am Thursday, April 20, 2017
- Flanked on each end by CIAA Golf Committee members, coaches and players from Chowan University’s golf team (from left, Asst. Coach Ellen Ordnung, Billy Britton, Steven Rhinard, Jordan Francis, Rich Edwards, Christian Fleetwood, and Head Coach Mike Ordnung) are pictured after the Hawks successfully defended their CIAA golf championship last week in Glen Allen, VA. | Photo Courtesy CIAA
GLEN ALLEN, VA – Charging back from a four-stroke deficit after round-one, the Chowan University men’s golf team went on to capture the 2017 CIAA Championship crown here Friday afternoon at The Crossings Golf Club in Glen Allen.
Chowan edged Virginia Union University by five strokes with a two-day total team score of 631 to claim the program’s second consecutive CIAA title. Chowan’s Jordan Francis shot a two-day total of 145 to claim 2017 CIAA Men’s Golf Championship top Medalist honors.
Chowan shot a 325 in the opening round of play, and carded a 306 on Friday. Virginia Union finished runner-up with a two-day round score of 636. Livingstone College finished in third (639) followed by Fayetteville State (650) while Johnson C. Smith and Virginia State University each carded a 704 tying for fifth place. The Vikings of Elizabeth City State posted a two-day total of 790 for a seventh place finish, and St. Augustine’s finished in eighth place with a two-round team score of 885.
Chowan’s Jordan Francis carded a 74 in the opening round of play before blistering the field with a 71 on Friday. His two-day score of 145 was only 1 stroke over par, earning a No. 2 CIAA golf season ranking with his 76.5 strokes/round average., Francis was joined on the All-Tournament team by VUU’s Joshua Mohun and Shaw University’s Isaiah Shaw who both swung for a 153 total. Livingstone’s Philip Harrison and Allen Day of Virginia Union round out the five-player team.
Francis claims the second individual championship for Chowan after Cliff Forbes claimed the first in 2012.
Rich Edwards finished tied for seventh place individually in the 39-player field with a two-round score of 160 (85-75). After carding a 97 in the opening round, Edwards showed resilience in the final day of play, making up 20 strokes and carding a 77 for Chowan on Friday.
Billy Britton and Christian Fleetwood each shot an 83 in both rounds for the Hawks and concluded play tied for 14th with a two-round score of 166 while Steven Rhinard finished tied for 18th place individually.
The Hawks advance to compete in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament on May 2-5. The NCAA Championship selection show for pairings will be released April 28, while site selections will also be released at that time.