ICC Men’s Golf Team Posting Solid Results This Season
The performance of the Illinois Central College golf team is starting to heat up, with strong showings in several events so far.
In the first competition of the year, the team placed second overall out of 19 teams in the Highland 36. The team also placed second out of six teams in the Heartland Hawk 36. The Cougar golfers also placed third overall in the Duane Chaney Invitational. They won the Cougar Fall Classic held at Metamora Fields.
Freshman Hunter Ficken has had an incredible fall season leading the Cougars to success. He has won medalist honors twice this year, including in the Highland 36, where he shot an incredible -2/142. Ficken also got medalist honors at the Cougar Fall Classic shooting a +1 136. He also placed individually in the Duane Chaney Invitational and ninth place in the Heartland 36.
While Ficken has had a very successful season, he’s not the only one.
In an interview, ICC freshman golfer Quinn Cox said the team has a lot of depth, with many strong players contributing to its success.
“We go into every tournament thinking we’re going to win. We have such a solid team where any of us can go out and win a tournament,” Cox said. “We all are pretty close as a team so we want to do well so we don’t let our team down.”
Cox said that the team’s goal is to make it to nationals, but they’ll have to keep this level of performance up. NJCAA Division 2 Nationals are held in Joplin Community College on May 21-24.
“If we want to get there, we have to keep winning tournaments and play well,” Cox said.
Cox added that winning the Cougar Fall Classic was his highlight of the season so far. “I’d say winning our home tournament was a big statement. Being able to come into knowing we should win and then actually do win is pretty fun.”
However, not every course was a lot of fun. “To be honest, the Metamora fields were long, and it played even longer because of how windy it was,” Cox said. “I felt like all the holes were into the wind and it wasn’t too easy.”
Great coverage Brock. You definitely are establishing your own style. Well written article.