Cardinal men victorious again

North Idaho College freshman Angus Montgomery picked up another win and so did the mens golf team at the Bigfoot Invitational on April 20 and 21 in Liberty Lake, Wash. The NIC womens team finished third.

Montgomery shot rounds of 67 and 71 to take first place. Hugh Taylor shot a 146 for sixth place individually and Tanner Martin tied for tenth with a 147.

“The tournament before we kind of had a pretty bad result really by our standards, and it was kind of nice to bounce back in a way to get that win before going to nationals, kind of get a bit of momentum and confidence back up,” Taylor said.

The NIC men and women competed against a field of NWAACC (Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges) teams.

The mens team has won six out of the eight invitationals they have played in, dating back to the fall season. This was its last one before heading to Burlington, Iowa, for the NJCAA Division I National Championships May 13-16. The NIC men are ranked seventh in the latest NJCAA poll.

Head coach Derrick Thompson said one of the big keys to the mens success has been its depth.

Madi Hauck (166) and Jennie Williams (172) finished third and fourth individually to help guide the Cardinals to a third-place finish.

The womens team is ranked 14th in the NJCAA. It will head to Daytona Beach, Fla., May 12-15 for nationals.

“For me individually, I just want to continue to shoot low 80s and play consistent throughout,” Hauck said.

Thompson said he wants his team to treat nationals like any other golf tournament.

“We have actually refrained from using the term national championship at practice,” Thompson said. “We just call it the golf tournament in Iowa or the golf tournament in Florida.”