NCCC brings home regional golf title

Niagara County Community College accumulated 693 team strokes on its way to a second consecutive Region III men's golf championship this past weekend at the Par-72 Kaluhyat Golf Course at Turning Stone. It is the third title in program history for NCCC, which also won in 1968 and 2019. The 2020 season was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

N-Trip, which finished 16 shots clear of second-place Jefferson Community College at the two-day event, will bring its team to the annual NJCAA Div. III Championships on June 7-11 at Chautauqua Golf Club. This year's tournament is being held as an open invitational due to low participation numbers and varying Covid-19-related restrictions at the national level.

NCCC sophomore Murphy Lang was the Region III medalist after carding rounds of 77 and 82 at the links-style track. His two-day total of 159 strokes was six better than Sam Arrigo (Jefferson CC), who took second. Lang is believed to be the first individual regional champion in school history. Joining Lang on the All-Region first team was freshman teammate Sam Hyman, who shot 172 (83-89). 

Fellow first-year players Fred Waterman (86-91-177) and Cameron Cswaykus (99-86-185) were named second team All-Region. 

On the women's side, sophomore Emily Neidrauer finished in second place after firing rounds of 97 and 103. SUNY Adirondack's Rory Smith was the women's champion (98-99-197). 

NCCC head coach Matt Oleski, now in his ninth season, was also honored as Region III Coach of the Year. It is the fourth time he has earned the distinction (2015, 2017, 2019, 2021).