Chiefs hang on to grab Region IV Championship for the first time since 2001
Waubonsee Community College’s Men’s Golf squad held on to capture the 2015 Region IV Division II Championship over the past weekend. The Chiefs won the three-day tournament by just two strokes over conference rival Moraine Valley Community College, 956 to 958. It is the second Region IV Golf Championship ever for Waubonsee, with the only other title coming in 2001. The victory qualifies the Chiefs for the NJCAA Division II National Tournament next spring held at the Swan Lake Resort Golf Course in Plymouth, Ind. beginning on May 22, 2016.
Waubonsee raced out to a big lead on the opening day of the tournament at the Aldeen Golf Course in Rockford. The Chiefs posted a team total of 304 to take a 20 shot lead over second-place Black Hawk College after the first round. The following day Waubonsee carded a 322 to finish second on the day while their overall lead shrank to 12 strokes over second-place Moraine Valley. The Chiefs then struggled to a final round 330 on Saturday, narrowly hold off the Cyclones who posted a 320 to finish in second overall. Black Hawk came in third out of the 10 team field, 10 shots back while Sauk Valley Community College was fourth with a total of 981.
Individually, Waubonsee’s Matt Yonkovich led a quartet of Chiefs that earned All-Region honors by finishing in the top-15. The sophomore placed second overall finishing nine shots back of medalist Jarred Hippen from Sauk Valley. A Kaneland High School product, Yonkovich tallied a 15-over par 231 for his three rounds. Waubonsee’s Noah Lindmark, a freshman from Minooka, placed seventh overall with a three-day total of 238. DeKalb native Jacob Cook finished 12th with a 243 over 54 holes, while Batavia High School graduate Jon Hvasta was one shot behind him in 13th place to round out the Chiefs’ All-Region foursome. Oswego High School alumnus Zack Zamin carded a 273 to round out Waubonsee’s participants. Head Coach Dave Heiss and Assistant Coach Rodney Davis were named the Region IV Division II Co-Coaches of the Year after leading the Chiefs to the title.
The Chiefs’ Region IV title comes on the heels of the squad winning the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference’s (ISCC) crown by the narrowest of margins just two weeks ago. Waubonsee finished in a tie for the top spot with Moraine Valley, both with 21 team points. However, the Chiefs edged the Cyclones by just four strokes (1569 to 1573) over five conference matches, an average of less than one shot per match between each team’s five players. The ISCC title is Waubonsee’s fourth under the direction of Coach Dave Heiss the last 24 years. The Chiefs previously were ISCC Champions in 2001, 2004 and 2010.
Yonkovich was the 2015 ISCC Medalist as the top golfer in the league after finishing third overall as a freshman. He posted a conference average of 73.75 per round to earn All-ISCC honors for the second straight year. Cook and Lindmark also earned All-ISCC status by finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. Cook carded an average of 76.75, while Lindmark finished with a 77.75 average over five conference matches.
