EMU disc golf men’s “A” team outlasted North Carolina State (N.C. State) for the team doubles title, finishing with a score of -31, while first-year Jesse Longenecker stole the show in the individual round throwing a -13. EMU hosted two Division Ischools in Liberty and N.C. State in the annual EMU Royals Classic at Westover Park in Harrisonburg, Va.
“My main joy was in the team win. Not only did we grab the win, we did it in a way that truly showed how each person on the team contributes,” Longenecker said. “That was very special.”
Longenecker, who is no stranger to winning but still adjusting to playing in the college format, said, “It’s a different mental game. Knowing that your shots count towards a team rather than just yourself is hard to manage sometimes.” He also mentioned the unbeatable joy of winning as a team, “I loved how we could celebrate our win as a team. That feeling is different than any other event I’ve won.”
In the singles round, Longenecker made his case for the best player in the nation. While never trailing, he cruised to a first place finish over Logan Edelman of N.C. State. Longencker threw a course record -13 (43), which was also the best score of his young collegiate career. In the most recent College Disc Golf rankings, Longenecker was ranked 2nd in the nation individually, and also recently became the highest rated player in his home state of PA. Additionally, the men’s team holds an impressive #13 national ranking in the most recent polls.
“I feel honored. I know that rankings are arbitrary to some extent. That being said I know I’ve put lots of work in over the last couple years,” Longencker said. “The people around me have sacrificed things to get me to this point, so it does feel nice to see that recognition in the form of a number.”
The tournament kicked off on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 9 a.m. with the first team doubles round. EMU started off the weekend finishing a -16 in their first round, which gave them a three-stroke lead over the rest of the field.
The second round is played individually, but scores also contribute to the final team scores. EMU men’s “A” team finished with an average team score of 54, with Longenecker finishing at a 43, first-year Theo Andreas a 53, sophomore Eli Stoll a 59, and junior Beckham Jantzi a 62.
Sunday was the third and final round of the tournament and it ended up being “a wild one,” Longenecker said. After the second round scores, EMU started off the third round two strokes back of N.C. State. They gained two strokes early on against the Wolfpack, however never led until the winning shot.
After the final hole, scores were still knotted at -31, meaning the teams went to a playoff. Both teams played until one shot better than the other. On the second playoff hole, Stoll set the Royals up with a great drive, and Andreas was able to putt home a birdie for the Royals win.
Coach Trevor Oyer said, “In my opinion, our team chemistry and game plan for the team rounds gives us an advantage.” And even with trailing two strokes going into the final round, Oyer noted his team’s confidence: “We were very confident that we could get two or more strokes back in that final round. There were so many points in that final round when I felt like the moment could have swung strongly towards N.C. State, but one of our guys came up with a big shot to stay level or give us the momentum instead.”
It was the first time the Royals won their home tournament in several years, beating the much larger schools of Liberty and North Carolina State. The win was a “ huge success,” Coach Oyer said. “We knew that our team was talented enough to keep things somewhat close, but throughout the event players continued to hit clutch shots to help us keep pace with a talented N.C. State squad.” The Wolfpack finished 3rd place in last year’s National Championships and has consistently been one of the top programs in the nation along with Liberty.
The disc golf team will have a break from tournament play until the spring, with their focus set on the National Championships scheduled for early April.
