May 22, 2010
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
SANTEE, Calif. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF men's golf team saw its successful season come to a close Saturday as the Knights placed sixth out of 13 teams at the NCAA Regionals at the Carlton Oaks Golf Club. The top five squads at the event moved on to the NCAA Championship, which will be held in June.
UCF concluded the three-day event at 893 (+29), just seven shots behind California, No. 12 UNLV and No. 24 Tennessee, who all tied for third at 886 (+22). Top-ranked Oregon took the team title at 6-over 870, followed by No. 13 Augusta State (880, +16).
The Knights entered the final round in sixth and posted a 297 on the final 18 holes. Senior Devin Spies (Sarasota, Fla.) carded a 72 (E) Saturday to tie for 14th overall at 5-over 221. He was one of three Knights who recorded top-30 finishes.
"We had some guys play a great final round," UCF head coach Bryce Wallor said. "With a hole to go, we were two to three shots behind. We were in position from day one to day three. All season long, our guys worked extremely hard. They gave a great effort."
Sophomore Brad Schneider (Valrico, Fla.) tied for 18th at 222 (+6). Senior Simon Ward (County Monaghan, Ireland) tied for 28th at 224 (+8)) and sophomore Connor Arendell (Cape Coral, Fla.) tied for 39th (226, +10). Also in action for the Knights was junior Nuno Henriques (Funchal, Portugal), who tied for 54th at 230 (+14).
New Mexico State placed seventh behind UCF at 31-over 895. Host San Diego State tied for eighth with UC-Irvine at 899 (+35).
Spies performance in California was the best of the season for the senior. Like Schneider and Ward, he also competed in the regionals a year ago for the Knights. "Devin is so relaxed. He is a low-blood pressure guy," Wallor said. "He is very confident. He performed fantastically for our team."
Nick Delio of Cal-State Northridge, who was competing as an individual, took medalist honors at 3-under 213.
UCF was competing in the regionals for the fourth-straight year. The Knights received a spot in the postseason after claiming the Conference USA Championship in late April.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
Team Leaders
1. Oregon 294-290-286=870 (+6)
2. Augusta State 303-286-291=880 (+16)
T3. California 294-292-300=886 (+22)
Tennessee 294-296-296=886 (+22)
UNLV 294-294-298=886 (+22)
6. UCF 295-301-297=893 (+29)
UCF Individuals
T14. Devin Spies 75-74-72=221 (+5)
T18. Brad Schneider 72-76-74=222 (+6)
T28. Simon Ward 73-76-75=224 (+8)
T39. Connor Arendell 75-75-76=226 (+10)
T54. Nuno Henriques 76-76-78=230 (+14)