Sept. 16, 2024
Ferris State turns in a dominant performance at disc golf Great Lakes Conference Opener at Northend Riverside Park
Strong competition on a challenging course was not a problem for Ferris State University’s disc golf team as it emerged atop the eight-team, 74-competitor field in the Great Lakes Conference Opener on Saturday.
Ferris State took first and second in the Division and Division II men’s team divisions and the Division I women’s team division, which took place in Northend Riverside Park in Big Rapids.
In the singles competition, Ferris State golfers placed first and second in Division I, in the two top spots in Division II men’s divisions and atop the women’s division.
“I am beyond proud of how our team was able to rise to the occasion and dominate at this event,” said Benji Zorn, a junior from Grand Rapids majoring in Business Administration. “We really set the tone for the year, and I am excited for us to push for a regional and national title this year for all of our teams.”
Zorn, a 2024 national singles champion, said the competitive field featured teams from University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Toledo University, Western Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, CalvinUniversity, Great Lakes Christian College, and Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
For a prideful program, beginning the season in such a dominating fashion is inspiring, said Evan McConnell, a Hudsonville senior majoring in Construction Management.
“It was an awesome start to our season. We won all six titles up for grabs,” McConnell said. “Ferris has a history of success, and we came into the weekend expecting to succeed. Anything else would have been disappointing.”
McConnell said the team has much to feel good about after the weekend and looks forward to future competition.
“I took the men’s singles event after a playoff with a teammate. This was my first collegiate singles win, and I look forward to continuing to compete in my final year at Ferris,” said McConnell, who saluted the sportsmanship and energy level of the competitors in Big Rapids on Saturday.
On the women’s side, this opener was fuel for future competitive events.
“The Great Lakes Conference Open was an incredible opportunity to showcase the force of our team. I believe it was especially impactful to do it on our home course,” said Delaney Beckett, a junior from Macomb, Michigan, majoring in Hospitality Management and Spanish for the Professions.
“Some people might say we had home-course advantage. However, following our rounds, many comments from our competitors were about the difficulty level of our course. I overheard someone say, ‘that course ate me alive.’ This is a testament to the training our teams engage in every day.”
Preparation was a major key, Beckett said.
“We push ourselves so that we can perform as we did yesterday. On behalf of myself and Mikayla Ealy, I am so proud of our performance for the women’s team,” she said. “While we were the only school to field a women’s team, we made our presence known.”
Alumnus Nick Davis, a Norton Shores, Michigan native and a 2022 graduate of the Criminal Justice program, saluted the team’s performance in a competitive field as inspirational.
“Today was more than a Bulldog victory. It was a Bulldog sweep,” said Davis, a coach and staff member for the Ferris State disc golf team. “We took all divisions, and I felt like it was an eye-opening experience for everyone on the team to see how deep our talent runs. We had four players in the top 10 singles spots, excluding ties, and two of those individuals played for our ‘B’ team.”
Davis said Evan McConnell, from the ‘A’ team, and Sam Perry, from the ‘B’ team, “duked it out in a playoff for the singles title.”
Following that was the Ferris State ‘A’ Team defeating the Ferris State ‘B’ team by only two strokes. Those two teams beat the next best team by seven and five strokes.”
In Division II singles, Owen Wolfsen and Mitch Snarski went the length of the course, never separated by more than a stroke.
The Ferris ‘C’ team ended up beating the Ferris ‘D’ team by four strokes and the next-best team by seven.
“All said and done, it was a spectacular showing by FSU, and I cannot wait to see how the momentum from the conference opener rolls into other Collegiate events later this year,” Davis said.
The Great Lakes Conference Opener is the start for a Disc Golf Team that competes with high expectations.
“I believe it is tournaments like these that will take us to where we want to be for further tournaments and into nationals,” Beckett said.
Leonard Johnson, Ferris State professor emeritus and a former associate provost, serves as the advisor for the disc golf team.
“I would only add that I could not be more proud of this team and that I look forward to regionals,” he said.