Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, April 30
Athens, Ala.
All Day
Eastern Michigan University
at
MAC Championship
Kellett Ties for Fifth; EMU Takes Seventh at MAC Championship
5/2/2023 5:31:00 PM | Men's Golf
Cam Kellett records the best EMU individual finish since 2019
Complete Results (PDF) | Season Stats.
Highlight Video | Photo Gallery.
ATHENS, Ala. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's golf team finished in seventh place at the 2023 Mid-American Conference Championship with a three-day cumulative score of 894 (298-292-304). Northern Illinois University captured its first league title since 1985, finishing at five-over 869 (298-279-295) on the par 72, 7,237 yard Canebrake Golf Club course.
Senior Cam Kellett (London, Ontario-Saint Thomas Aquinas-Nevada) tied for fifth with an even-par 216 (73-71-72) for his second top-five finish of the 2022-23 campaign. Overall, it marked the best finish by an Eagle at the league's championship event since 2019 when Zach Sudinsky also placed fifth with a 145 (74-71=145) at the weather-shortened tournament at Club Walden in Aurora, Ohio. For his efforts, he earned All-Tournament honors from the league for the first time in his career.
On Monday, NIU had one of its top-five 18-hole scores since 1980, posting a nine-under par 279 to move from sixth place to the tournament lead. The Huskies never relinquished the lead en route to picking up its third all-time MAC crown (1976, 1985, and 2023). Ball State finished second with a 873 followed by Toledo (875) and Kent State (877).
Toledo's Barend Botha won the individual MAC title with a 54-hole score of five-under 211 (73-70-68).
How It Happened
EMU's three-day, 54-hole team tally was its lowest since the league shortened the event in 2021. Kellett closed his impressive season with a scoring average of 73.8, a mark which is tied for 27th-best in program history.
Junior Patrick Deardorff (Clarkston, Mich.-Clarkston) notched a top-20 finish in his first MAC Championship, placing 18th with a score of 223 (74-74-75). Freshmen Ryan Somerville (Aurora, Ontario-Aurora) and Nathaniel Gray Lamont (Guelph, Ontario-Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute) tied for 31st and 35th with scores of 228 (75-74-79) and 229 (78-73-79), respectively. Freshman Logan Graf (Sylvan Lake, Alberta-HJ Cody) rounded out the scoring with a 233 (76-74-83) for 41st place.
Historical Notes
Playing a mostly underclassmen lineup, the youthful Eagles posted the 22nd-lowest four-player team scoring average at 299.3. Overall, Eastern Michigan finished in the top-10 at six different tournaments this season, including a third-place finish at the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational, Sept. 12-13, 2022.
Eastern Michigan Individual Results:
Pl. Player Scores
t-5. Cam Kellett 73-71-72=216
t-18. Patrick Deardorff 74-74-75=223
t-31. Ryan Somerville 75-74-79=228
t-35. Nathaniel Gray Lamont 78-73-78=229
41. Logan Graf 76-74-83=233
Team Scores:
Pl. Team Scores
1. Northern Illinois 295-279-295=869
2. Ball State 299-282-292=873
3. Toledo 302-286-287=875
4. Kent State 294-290-293=877
5. Miami 293-291-298=882
6. Central Michigan 291-296-303=890
7. Eastern Michigan 298-292-304=894
8. Ohio 294-305-301=900
9. Bowling Green 291-303-310=904
2023 MAC Men's Golf Awards
Earl Yestingsmeier Sportsmanship Award: Jack Ebner, Miami
Kermit Blosser Coach of the Year: John Carlson, Northern Illinois
Freshman of the Year: Ben MacLean, Kent State
Golfer of the Year: Barend Botha, Toledo
MAC Individual Champion: Barend Botha, Toledo
Runner up Medalist: Danny Fisher, Miami
All-Tournament Team
Barend Botha, Toledo
Danny Fisher, Miami
Cade Breitenstine, Kent State
Kash Bellar, Ball State
Carter Smith, Ball State
Cam Kellett, Eastern Michigan
Zach Place, Northern Illinois
Highlight Video | Photo Gallery.
ATHENS, Ala. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's golf team finished in seventh place at the 2023 Mid-American Conference Championship with a three-day cumulative score of 894 (298-292-304). Northern Illinois University captured its first league title since 1985, finishing at five-over 869 (298-279-295) on the par 72, 7,237 yard Canebrake Golf Club course.
Senior Cam Kellett (London, Ontario-Saint Thomas Aquinas-Nevada) tied for fifth with an even-par 216 (73-71-72) for his second top-five finish of the 2022-23 campaign. Overall, it marked the best finish by an Eagle at the league's championship event since 2019 when Zach Sudinsky also placed fifth with a 145 (74-71=145) at the weather-shortened tournament at Club Walden in Aurora, Ohio. For his efforts, he earned All-Tournament honors from the league for the first time in his career.
On Monday, NIU had one of its top-five 18-hole scores since 1980, posting a nine-under par 279 to move from sixth place to the tournament lead. The Huskies never relinquished the lead en route to picking up its third all-time MAC crown (1976, 1985, and 2023). Ball State finished second with a 873 followed by Toledo (875) and Kent State (877).
Toledo's Barend Botha won the individual MAC title with a 54-hole score of five-under 211 (73-70-68).
How It Happened
EMU's three-day, 54-hole team tally was its lowest since the league shortened the event in 2021. Kellett closed his impressive season with a scoring average of 73.8, a mark which is tied for 27th-best in program history.
Junior Patrick Deardorff (Clarkston, Mich.-Clarkston) notched a top-20 finish in his first MAC Championship, placing 18th with a score of 223 (74-74-75). Freshmen Ryan Somerville (Aurora, Ontario-Aurora) and Nathaniel Gray Lamont (Guelph, Ontario-Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute) tied for 31st and 35th with scores of 228 (75-74-79) and 229 (78-73-79), respectively. Freshman Logan Graf (Sylvan Lake, Alberta-HJ Cody) rounded out the scoring with a 233 (76-74-83) for 41st place.
Historical Notes
Playing a mostly underclassmen lineup, the youthful Eagles posted the 22nd-lowest four-player team scoring average at 299.3. Overall, Eastern Michigan finished in the top-10 at six different tournaments this season, including a third-place finish at the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational, Sept. 12-13, 2022.
Eastern Michigan Individual Results:
Pl. Player Scores
t-5. Cam Kellett 73-71-72=216
t-18. Patrick Deardorff 74-74-75=223
t-31. Ryan Somerville 75-74-79=228
t-35. Nathaniel Gray Lamont 78-73-78=229
41. Logan Graf 76-74-83=233
Team Scores:
Pl. Team Scores
1. Northern Illinois 295-279-295=869
2. Ball State 299-282-292=873
3. Toledo 302-286-287=875
4. Kent State 294-290-293=877
5. Miami 293-291-298=882
6. Central Michigan 291-296-303=890
7. Eastern Michigan 298-292-304=894
8. Ohio 294-305-301=900
9. Bowling Green 291-303-310=904
2023 MAC Men's Golf Awards
Earl Yestingsmeier Sportsmanship Award: Jack Ebner, Miami
Kermit Blosser Coach of the Year: John Carlson, Northern Illinois
Freshman of the Year: Ben MacLean, Kent State
Golfer of the Year: Barend Botha, Toledo
MAC Individual Champion: Barend Botha, Toledo
Runner up Medalist: Danny Fisher, Miami
All-Tournament Team
Barend Botha, Toledo
Danny Fisher, Miami
Cade Breitenstine, Kent State
Kash Bellar, Ball State
Carter Smith, Ball State
Cam Kellett, Eastern Michigan
Zach Place, Northern Illinois
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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Cam Kellett's Comments - GameAbove Golf Performance Center
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Scott Wetherbee's Comments - GameAbove Golf Performance Center
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President Jim Smith's Comments - GameAbove Golf Performance Center
Wednesday, January 17