COSTA MESA, CA — #17 Pomona-Pitzer took third at SCIAC Championships.
 
After a valiant effort and one of the best rounds in recent memory, the Sagehens fell just short of a comeback victory in the SCIAC Championship. It would be a disappointing result to a historic 2025 campaign, one that has seen the gradual climb over Coach Wurzer's tenure achieve new heights. He has managed to recruit players who "buy in" to the program, exhibiting these same tenets of personal responsibility and commitment. This all has led to a year-on-year rise in the rankings, and finally their best finish in the Coaches Poll of the decade.
 
The impressive rise has largely come with the help of Junior John Kim. From the outset, Kim proved to be a leader both on the course and off. He's been the embodiment of this personal responsibility, never content, and always willing to put in the hours in practice. Kim has notched four collegiate victories in the past year, the last coming as co-champion of the SCIAC Championship at ten-under par. His length and aggressiveness play style allowed him to attack the scoreable, 6500-yard Los Lagos course. He led the field with birdies for the week (at 17) and blew out the field on par fours (-8). His final round included 7 birdies on the way to a -5 67, and a birdie on the last placed him at the top of the leaderboard with CMS's Michael Ma.
 
Following John were two underclassmen, providing the spark from the middle of the lineup. Freshman Nilay Naik has had an impressive freshman campaign, and he added yet another top 5 finish to his budding collegiate career. Naik always finds himself in contention late in the final round, and his 13-birdie, 1-eagle SCIAC Championship put him in that familiar spot. He finishes the year ranked #32 in the nation, with a great chance to go to Nationals as an individual. Sophomore Alexander Oh had one of his best results of his young career, notching a top 10 at the ultimate event of the year. He was under par in all three rounds, and added 12 birdies and an eagle on the way to a 7-under par finish.
 
Graduate Max Rockrohr and Freshman Andrew Lim rounded out the lineup this week, but had important contributing rounds of their own. Rockrohr came out of the gate slow, but fired a -4 68, punctuated by an eagle at the last, playing his part in the historic -16 final day. Lim played with his typical consistency, finishing just outside of the top 25. His second day -1 71 also provided a major boost.
 
Though it would not be their year to take home the title, the Sagehens showcased immense talent over the course of the year and hung with the best teams in the country. Now the wait begins: Selection Monday, May 12, decides their fate for the National Championship.
 
Team Result
3rd Place 285-281-272 (-26)
Individual Results
T1 John Kim 70-69-67 (-10)
T5 Nilay Naik 68-72-68 (-8)
8 Alexander Oh 71-69-69 (-7)
T25 Max Rockrohr 78-74-68 (+4)
T27 Andrew Lim 76-71-74 (+5)