VENTURA, CA. — The Sagehens opened conference play at Olivas Links this weekend with a solid performance, finishing third place at SCIAC #1. No. 34 Pomona-Pitzer secured the podium spot after a nail biter of an ending, which saw all five players birdie the par-5 18th on day two. This triumphant finish after a valiant fight was just enough to eclipse No. 29 La Verne and No. 17 CMS by one shot apiece. The team showed grit and depth down the stretch with different players leading the way in each round.
For the second straight week, freshman Nilay Naik was the low individual for the Sagehens. Coming off his first collegiate victory last week, he followed it up with another podium finish, coming in at T3. His finish was boosted by a stellar first round 68, a personal best. He played the four par 5s in five-under par, highlighted by an eagle on the scoreable third. He notched three other birdies, including one on the notoriously difficult 16th, for a six-birdie, one-eagle day.
The next finisher was John Kim, who nestled just inside the top 15 at his even par finish. His ten birdies ranked third across the field, six of which came in a round-one 68. A couple big numbers down the stretch took Kim out of contention, but it was still another solid finish.
Sophomore Alexander Oh didn't quite recreate the magic of his 10-under victory a couple years ago, but limited the big numbers on the way rounds of 72 and 75. He added this on the team's performance at Olivas: "I was really proud of our finish as a team, and how we took advantage of the par 5s this weekend. Of course we wanted a win, but it's always nice to beat CMS."
Graduate student Ben Morehead finished just behind Alex, at 21st overall. He finished with some colorful scorecards, coming in with ten birdies, but a few too many bogies kept him from going low.
Max Rockrohr, a veteran on the Pomona-Pitzer squad, used his experience to turn a subpar tournament into a podium finish for the squad. A vintage finish, with three birdies in the last five, took pure grit. Despite struggling with his game, he provided the last push for the Hens in Ventura.
Team Result
3rd Place 286-289 (-1)
Individual Results
T3 Nilay Naik 68-73 (-3)
14 John Kim 68-76 (E)
20 Alexander Oh 75-72 (+3)
T21 Ben Morehead 75-73 (+4)
T26 Max Rockrohr 79-71 (+6)
