On the heels of medalist honors by junior E.J. Stenftenagel (Indian Wells, CA), the Redlands men’s golf team finished second at the 2008 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships on Monday.  Playing 36 holes at Los Serranos Country Club, the Bulldogs accumulated a team score of 573, which was 14 shots off of the lead by defending conference champion University of La Verne. 

During Monday’s championships, Stenftenagel shot a 70 during the first 18 holes for his season-best but proceeded to better that score with a conference-low 66 through the final 18 holes.  In addition to winning the tournament, Stenftenagel was named Lee Fulmer Co-Athlete of the Year due to his overall consistency throughout the season.   In seven rounds of SCIAC competition, he finished the season as the conference’s top-ranked golfer by posting an average round score of 72.4, which was just 0.7 above par.

Sophomore Ross Canavan (Redlands, CA) and junior J.C. Riter (Portland, OR) tied for seventh at the SCIAC Championships with scores of 144.  A consistent 72-72 effort by Canavan helped improve his SCIAC ranking to 10th with a 74.7 average, resulting in an All-SCIAC Second Team accolade.  Riter capped off a breakout season with an opening round of 75 and a closing round of 69, tying him for the third-best individual score of the championships.  His season average of 74.8 places him 12th in the conference, playing in just five of the seven SCIAC rounds.

Freshman Scott Pena (Escondido, CA) finished in a tie for 22nd at the 36-hole event with scores of 76 and 74.  With a season average of 75.7, he ranks 14th in the conference and rounded out the Bulldogs’ All-SCIAC honorees as a member of the Second Team.

Freshman Alex Hedlund (Arlington, WA) and sophomore Ryan Williams (Scottsdale, AZ) also helped Redlands take second place at the SCIAC Championships, finishing 25th and 28th, respectively.  Hedlund posted a two-round total of 152, while Williams shot a 154.

The Bulldogs now await the NCAA’s announcement regarding the 2008 Men’s Golf Championship, which will be made next week.  Thirty-five teams and five individuals will advance onto the postseason tournament on May 13-16.  This year’s event takes place at Chateau Elan Resort near Atlanta, GA, and is hosted by Emory University and the Gwinnett Sports Commission.