From June 19-23 and June 26-30, USCBAthletics.com will count down the top 10 moments of the 2016-17 school year for Sand Shark Athletics. Today’s entry is No. 6 on the list.
The USCB men’s golf team has never been afraid to take on the big boys, often competing in tournaments with NCAA Division I fields and holding its own.
The Sand Sharks had never won a Division I event, though, until last March. At the Bash At The Beach in Myrtle Beach, USCB topped a 16-team field that included 14 Division I schools, edging George Washington by one shot. Junior Keith Murphy and freshman Newport Laparojkit both posted top-five finishes in the event.
The win wasn’t a huge surprise to anyone familiar with the Sand Sharks’ track record. USCB had won its previous event – the Sand Shark Classic at Oldfield Golf Club – over a field loaded with top NAIA teams after finishing second at another NCAA Division I event earlier in the spring.
“Winning any event is a great accomplishment, but winning an event against an NCAA Division I field is a special accomplishment that gives the team confidence for the rest of the spring,” coach Danny Allen said at the time. “Knowing we can compete with teams of this caliber every week is going to help us accomplish our ultimate goals of a conference championship and a national championship.”