Record-setting Year Ends in National Quarterfinals for Cobras

North Georgia, who won six tournaments this season and has been the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation throughout the 2023-24 campaign, defeated the Cobras 4-1 in Medal Matchplay in the morning, then rallied late to defeat West Texas A&M University 2-1-2 in the afternoon in the semifinals. Colorado Christian defeated Oklahoma Christian 4-1 in the other semifinal, so they will face North Georgia in Saturday morning's finale.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, nationally 18th-ranked Coker shot a school-record 6-under par and tied Central Oklahoma for third place in the 54-hole stroke play portion of the championship, which was staged on the par-71 Crooked Cat Course at Orange County National. The Cobras wound up with the fourth seed based on a tiebreaker and drew North Georgia.

Playing the back nine first in sweltering heat Friday morning, the two teams were fairly even until holes 17 and 18, when North Georgia took a 3-2 lead. The big blow for the Cobras was when Myles Jones, who trailed by two shots, holed a shot from 187 yards for eagle on the par-4 2nd hole while Coker junior Derek McGlaughlin made a bogey, so Jones went from trailing to taking the lead. McGlaughlin's tee shot was lost in the weeds on the third hole, which led to a triple, and Jones made par to go up by 4. McGlaughlin battled back with two birdies but wound up losing by two, 73-71.

Coker's lone win came from SAC medalist Caleb Tidd, who beat Will Chambless 70-71. Tidd never trailed in his match, going up one with a par on the 10th hole and extending it to a two-stroke lead with a birdie on the par-3 13th. They were tied at the turn, but pars on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd holes (the toughest stretch of the golf course), put Tidd back up by two. Chambless pulled within one with a birdie on the final hole.

Going out first for the Cobras was super senior Killian Ryan. The match was tight early, then Hughes Threlkeld eagled 14 and birdied 15 to go up by four shots. Ryan won the next two holes, but Threlkeld won No. 18 and No. 1 by two shots each to move ahead by six and coasted to a 71-78 win.

Coker senior Aaron Teece played a nice round of golf, shooting a 1-over 72, but he was bested by Peach Belt Conference and South-Southeast Region medalist Jack Vajda, who fired 68. Vajda gave Teece no room for error, making birdies on Nos. 10, 12, 14, and 18 on their front nine, when he carded a 4-under 32 for a five-shot lead. Teece shot an even-par 35 in a solid performance on his final nine, but it wasn't enough to close the gap.

Batting cleanup for the Cobras was senior Jonathan Hallinger, who was sixth in the stroke-play portion of the championship. He and Noah Zediker had a great battle throughout. They were tied off and on, but Zediker birdied the 3rd hole (their 12th) to go up by one shot. It stayed that way until the par-3 8th hole when Hallinger made a bogey to fall back by two. Zediker eventually prevailed 69-71.

"We really believed we had a veteran, talented team that could win the National Championship," Coker head coach John Hackney said. "We proved we were one of the country's top teams by finishing second in the SAC Championship, second in the South-Southeast Super Regional (to North Georgia), and third in the stroke-play portion of the National Championships. Unfortunately, we just got outplayed by a very good team today. It stings because we wanted to win, but it doesn't diminish the fact that these young men accomplished something that had never been done before. This is the deepest advance in an NCAA Tournament in school history for any Coker team. It was a run that polarized the Hartsville and Coker communities, and that is something that they can be very proud of. "These guys shattered all kinds of team records along the way, and the seniors will be hard to replace. They certainly set the bar high for future Coker squads. We are grateful for what they did for our university, and we wish them the very best in their future endeavors. It was a real honor for me and Coach Dan Schmotzer to coach these guys."