by: Kerry Lippold Jr.
Although the Covid-19 pandemic has rendered Spring sports seasons suspended, Parkland Golf celebrates not only a very successful Fall but also a decade of achievement. The past decade has featured a .840 winning percentage with 582 wins and 111 losses, six MWAC titles, three NJCAA Division II Region 24 titles, and four NJCAA Division II National Tournament appearances, including three consecutives over the past three years with the potential of what could have been their fourth for their efforts this season. Since 2014, the team has also succeeded in 23 tournament titles, and 32 tournament finishes at third or better.
As for the individual athletes throughout the past decade, Parkland has been home to one National Champion, seven NJCAA All-Americans, three Ping All-Americans, five MWAC Champions, three Region 24 Champions, 22 All-MWAC selections, eight Region 24/MWAC Coach of the Year awards, and 15 All-Region 24 selections.
Additionally, 19 players have committed to pursuing their athletic golf careers after Parkland. Two students from the Class of 2020, Mason Ghidina and Evan MacLean, were featured in the Prospectus’ previously published Three Parkland Athletes to Compete at Next Level and will be taking advantage of this opportunity to continue their passion for golf.
With a record of 39 wins and three losses, the team secured the Mid-West Athletic Conference title and first place at both the IVCC Fall Invitational and Wabash College Classic.
Parkland Golf’s long-running tradition of performing at such a high level is no exception for the previous season. With a record of 39 wins and three losses, the team secured the Mid-West Athletic Conference title and first place at both the IVCC Fall Invitational and Wabash College Classic. These accomplishments led to national recognition from the National Coaches Association of America and Golfstat, in which the Cobras were voted fourth and ranked fifth place respectively in NJCAA Division II. The team was led by four NJCAA Ping Division II All-Region Team recipients including three top-20 nationally ranked Cobras. Below is the Parkland College Golf Team’s ranking for the Bushnell Golfweek Poll and the Golfstat Top-10:
Bushnell Golfweek NJCAA Division II Poll
- South Mountain CC
- Kirkwood CC
- Mississippi Gulf Coast CC
- Parkland CC
- Mesa CC
- Meridian CC
- Tyler JC
- Walters State JC
- Paradise Valley CC
- Georgia Military College
Golfstat 2020 NJCAA Division II Top-10
- South Mountain CC
- Kirkwood CC
- Mesa CC
- Mississippi Gulf Coast CC
- Parkland CC
- Paradise Valley CC
- Meridian CC
- Tyler JC
- Georgia Military College
- Glendale CC
The Golf Coaches Association of America announced Mason Ghidina, Jack Halstead, Evan MacLean, and Scott O’Brien to this Central Region team designation of which only 30 golfers throughout the nation are awarded. Ranked nationally at 14, 16, and 18 respectively, Ghidina, O’Brien, and MacLean were separated by only margins and shared plenty of the team’s success with two MWAC Championship medalist honors and two tournament wins.
For more articles and information about Parkland Athletics, go to Prospectus News or Parkland College Athletics for Joey Gruner’s latest news of the Parkland Athletics’ accomplishments. Stay tuned for a deeper look into how the Parkland Athletics department is dealing with the concerns of our student-athletes.
