Lincoln, Neb. — Nebraska Wesleyan University fired a final round 306 on their home course, Hillcrest Country Club, helping them survive a late surge from Central and Luther to claim the 2019 American Rivers Conference Men's Golf Championship. Alex Kubik of Nebraska Wesleyan put the finishing touches on three rounds of play to earn A-R-C medalist and Most Valuable Golfer honors. 
 

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The Prairie Wolves, who captured their second-straight conference championship, placed two players in the top 10 and finished the tournament with a 917 three round total — four strokes clear of runner-up Central (921). NWU entered the day 12 strokes ahead of Central and Luther, who were tied at 623. Luther came within five strokes of NWU after the first 9-holes, but it was Central who came roaring down the back stretch, posting the tournaments low round at 298 to finish in second. The Prairie Wolves went 306-305-306, a consistency that kept them atop the team leaderboard all three rounds.  

With the tournament victory, the Prairie Wolves also earn an automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Division III Championships May 14-17 at Keene Trace Golf Club, Nicholasville, Kentucky. 

Central's three rounds total of 921 earned them second-place, with the team effort being highlighted by two players finishing in the top 10 to earn all-conference honors. This year's third-place team, Luther College, concluded the championships with a team score of 926 and placed two players on the all-conference team. Dubuque's consistent play on the final two days helped them to a fourth place finish, closing out the tournament with a 938 and two all-conference performers. Wartburg put its best round together on the final day to finish fifth as a team with a score of 963. The Knights saw one player earn all-conference. Sixth place went to Coe, who put up a score of 965 and had one player earn all-conference. Loras, Buena Vista and Simpson finished seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively. The Duhawks finished with a team score of 973, while the Beavers finished at 994 and the storm 1012.

Heading into the final two rounds, Kubik held a one stroke lead after shooting a round-one, plus-1, 72 at Finkbine Golf Course one week earlier. After round-two, also schedule for Finkbine, was cancelled, Kubik shot a round-three even par (72). On the final day of play he went two over par (74) and picked up his first Conference Tournament medalist honors, winning by four strokes. 

Joining Kubik as an all-conference honoree for the Prairie Wolves was Jeff Paschall, who took fourth with a three round total of 226 (+11). Central's Kobe Rhodes and Wartburg's Brandon Russell finished deadlocked at 222 (+7), but Rhodes earned the tie-breaker to take home the silver, giving Russell the Bronze. Central's Trenton Sann also earned all-conference honors, finishing in eighth-place at +16 (231). The Luther duo of Ben Phipps and Joe Fewer earned all-conference. Phipps placed fifth at +12 (227) while Fewer took ninth at +17 (232). Dubuque's Brady Ellis placed sixth with a three round total of 230 (+15). Ellis won the card back tie-breaker over Coe's Luke Winker, who also finished at +15, giving Winker seventh-place. Garvin Paper of Dubuque was the second Spartan to earn all-conference. Paper finished in 10th with a +18 (233).

The top 10 players in the final medalist standings receive American Rivers All-Conference honors. 

Nebraska Wesleyan's Derrick Ceder was named A-R-C Coach of the Year, as voted on by the League's head coaches. The honor was Ceder's second-straight.

 

Alex Kubik Nebraska Wesleyan University 2019 A-R-C Champion/Golfer of the Year		Derrick Ceder Nebraska Wesleyan University 2019 A-R-C Coach of the Year

Finish		Player	Team	Year	Hometown/High School	Scores			Total	Par
1		Alex Kubik	Nebraska Wesleyan	So.	Aurora, Neb./Aurora	72	72	74	218	+3
2*		Kobe Rhodes	Central	Jr.	Glennwood, Iowa/Glenwood	75	73	74	222	+7
3*		Brandon Russell	Wartburg	So.	Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny Centennial	75	76	71	222	+7
4		Jeff Paschal	Nebraska Wesleyan	Sr.	Papillion, Neb./Papillion LaVista	74	76	76	226	+11
5		Ben Phipps	Luther	Fr.	Townparks, Ardee, County Leuth, Ireland/Dundalk Grammer School	78	77	72	227	+12
6*		Brady Ellis	Dubuque	So.	Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell	80	76	74	230	+15
7*		Luke Winker	Coe	Jr.	Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier	73	78	79	230	+15
8		Trenton Sann	Central	Sr.	Clarion, Iowa/Clarion-Goldfield-Dows	80	80	71	231	+16
9		Joe Fewer	Luther	Sr.	Edina, Minn./St. Thomas Academy	79	76	77	232	+17
10		Garvin Paper	Dubuque	So.	Walcott, Iowa/Walcott	82	75	76	233	+18
* – place determined by card-back, utilizing scores from the final round and hole handicap (2nd - 9th)