For Immediate Release

Contact: Daniel Wackershauser, Marketing and PR Specialist
Phone: 608.822.2303
Mail: 1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809
Date of Release: January 19, 2024

Golf team shines during fall season

Kreutz wins regional tournament

Fennimore -

The Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Golf Team had a successful fall campaign. The team tallied the lowest score at the first tournament of the year, and finished second at the regional championship. The team is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The top five players from the 11-member team compete in tournaments throughout the midwest during the season.

“We did very well this year,” said Scott Kennedy, coach, and Golf Course Management instructor. “We competed against a lot of 4-year colleges and we finished in the middle of the pack at the tournaments. Versus the division 3 junior college teams we were always toward the top. It was a lot of fun.”

Ryan Stoeffregen, a welding student from Galena, Illinois, was the team’s number one player throughout the season.

This year’s regional championship was held in October in northern Minnesota. Brandon Kreutz, a Golf Course Management student from Verona, Wisconsin, bested the entire regional field with his individual score. He advances to play in the national championship, which will be held in Chautauqua, New York in June. He will be playing at a Donald Ross designed golf course. “It’s a really neat venue,” said Kennedy.

As a team, Southwest Tech finished second out of eight teams at the regional competition. Kennedy noted, traditionally, his teams have consisted of second-year students going to regionals. This year’s group was all first-year students. “This is probably the deepest team that I’ve had,” he said. “This bodes well for our future.”

The team starts competing on the first day of classes in the fall and doesn’t finish until the regional competition in October. Most of the competitions are held in September. At each tournament, five players compete and the top four individual scores are counted toward the team score. “The second-year guys were very supportive of the first-year guys,” said Kennedy. “That created a nice team atmosphere and it made us better.”

This year the team played in several events and were invited back to tournaments consisting of many four-year colleges. “Many of our players get recruited to those schools,” said Kennedy.

Looking to next year, Kennedy is excited for the team’s prospects. “We have one young man coming here from Georgia,” he said. In addition, the experience gained this year will help the team next year.

Another key addition this year was Deon Brown, volunteer assistant coach. Brown works as the head professional at the north course at Eagle Ridge in Galena, Illinois. “He was great for the team,” said Kennedy. “He is a very good player and our guys learned a lot from him.”

The golf team is open to any student on campus. More information can be found here: www.swtc.edu/athletics.

| Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, is one of 16 institutions that comprise the Wisconsin Technical College System. Southwest Tech offers more than 60 programs in a wide variety of disciplines. Courses are offered on campus, online, HyFlex and in a blended format. The college provides apprenticeship, certificate, technical diploma, and associate degree programs that respond to district workforce needs and prepare student for family-sustaining jobs and career advancement. |