GAMBIER, Ohio -- Coming off of the team's best finish of the spring season, the Kenyon College men's golf team looks to continue its momentum into the the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championship this weekend, teeing off in the three-day, three-round event from Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Indiana. 

The Owls will join the seven other conference teams to compete for the conference crown and the ensuing automatic bid into the 2025 NCAA Division III Championship in New York in late May. Kenyon will be looking to defend last year's victory as the team is on the hunt for a second straight NCAC Championship and third title over the last four seasons. 

Kenyon enters the tournament as the No. 15-ranked team in the Scoreboard Powered Clippd NCAA Division III poll, and sophomore Jonathan Oakes is ranked No. 41 in the individual rankings. This past weekend at the Caschera/DiCillo Classic, the Owls churned out their top finish of the spring season, winning the two-day tournament by seven shots. 

In the conference, the Owls received seven first-place votes and totaled 63 points to top the pre-championship poll voted on by the league coaches. Wittenberg University took second in the voting, collecting the remaining first-place vote and 56 points overall. DePauw University was tabbed third with 44 points, while Denison University received 39 points for fourth and host Wabash College earned 35 points for fifth. 

At last year's tournament, Kenyon set a program record for stroke count in a 54-hole tournament (845) and score in relation to par (+5), while sending all five participants to the All-NCAC team. The Owls went on to finish eighth at the 2024 NCAA Division III Championship, the best showing in program history. 

Oakes leads the team with a 72.26 scoring average in a team-high 23 rounds. The two-time NCAC Athlete of the Week has two top-ten finishes this season, along with one top-five and one win. Adrian Jordan, a first-year, is next up in scoring average, checking in at 73.96.

Head coach Grant Wallace, last year's NCAC Coach of the Year, has a decision to make as to who rounds out the squad as several golfers check in near the same scoring average. Oliver McGovern enters the tournament with a 74.08 scoring average in 12 rounds with three top-ten finishes and two top-fives, Jaiden Koonar has a 74.24 average in 21 rounds and two top-ten finishes, Rafael Frias IV has a 75.91 average in 11 rounds and one top-ten finish, and Armand Ouellette has a 76.70 scoring average in 20 rounds. 

The first round of the 2025 NCAC Championship will get underway on Friday, May 2, at 8:30 a.m.