FEATURE: Davis & Elkins Men's Golf Finishes Historic Season to Cherish

Members of the Davis & Elkins men's golf team huddled around their phones, waiting for the rest of the lineup to finish out the final round of stroke play at the 2021 NCAA DII Men's Golf National Championships at a sun-soaked PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens.

One of the just 16 teams earning an automatic bid to the national tournament, the Senators were hoping to defy the odds even more by finishing among the top eight and moving onto the national quarterfinals. Advancing to the NCAA Atlantic/East Super Regional two weeks prior, Davis & Elkins finished third overall to clinch its spot to nationals in Florida along with Gannon, St. Thomas Aquinas and Fayetteville State.

The Senators, which held steady just outside the cut line on day two with a solid team score of 310, battled a stiff wind and put themselves in a position to advance into the medal match play round. D&E saw the best the country had to offer in men's golf, playing in a pairing with ultimate national champion Arkansas Tech, ranked fourth nationally, before ending round three of stroke play with another top-10 program in Central Missouri. 

As golfers finished up the most difficult stretch of the course, uncertainty was high, with several teams closing out their rounds. High winds, tricky pin placements and a demanding back nine that included "The Bear Trap" at PGA National gave D&E the break it was looking for, pushing the group to sixth in the final team standings. 

From the time the sophomore crew of Sean Addie, Jack Coleman, Jack Harlen-Robertson, Jordan Hyland, Evan Lewis, and the coaching staff stepped into the airport at Pittsburgh International dawning full suits, the Senators were all business. Already making history by just competing in the NCAA Tournament, Davis & Elkins took it a step further, pushing the program, the Mountain East Conference and Atlantic Region to new heights by becoming the first MEC golf program to qualify for the medal match play portion of the tournament. 

In national quarterfinals of match play, the Senators went up against national power West Florida, which entered the tournament as the top-ranked team in the nation and third seed following 54 holes. D&E gave the Argonauts all they could handle in a reformatted scoring round that pitted each player's 18-hole score against his opponents. 

Teeing off on the 10th hole, Davis & Elkins went back and forth with UWF before the experienced Argonauts pulled ahead down the stretch. Coleman won his match by two strokes and Addie tied with his opponent in a 3-1-1 setback. 

Years from now, when the collection of talent from all corners of the globe reconvene to swap stories and share memories, moments from their first NCAA Tournament will be sure to provide plenty of accomplishments to look back on. 

Hyland carded an even-par 72 in the final round of stroke play, while Harlen-Robertson stepped up in round two with a 75. Lewis opened the tournament with a three-over 75, showcasing the Senators' depth across their starting lineup. Addie ended stroke play with rounds of 78 and 77, while Coleman provided steady rounds of 79, 78 and 81. 

A record-setting and memorable campaign ended with a win in the Crofton Invitational, the program's first MEC championship, all-conference honors for the entire Senator starting lineup and MEC Coach of the Year accolades for Lamm. All this occurred in the midst of competing during a global pandemic, which required constant masking and other mitigation efforts on and off campus to ensure successful completion of the season. 

While the 2020-21 season had its fair share of marquee moments, it's tough not to think of what the future holds for the Senators. While the group will fly back home for the summer, it won't be long before they return to the bucolic hills of Elkins.