Today @ Colorado State

Sports / Recreation

CSU disc golf team wins national championship

April 18, 2012
By Tony Phifer

The CSU men's disc golf team made history over the weekend, beating 39 other teams to win the national championship.

The CSU men’s disc golf team was not intimidated when it was matched up against top-ranked Purdue in the opening round of the National Collegiate Disc Golf Championships. The Rams, in fact, relished the opportunity.

“We knew we had a chance to set the tone for the rest of the tournament if we played well in that round,” said Austin Montgomery, team captain. “And that’s exactly what we did.”

Second year of competition

The Rams went on to beat Purdue en route to winning the national championship in the four-day competition in North Augusta, S.C. It was the first national championship for the CSU club team, which has been playing at a competitive level for just two years.

“It was a pretty amazing experience,” Montgomery said. “Everyone on the team played really well. We knew we could compete with everyone in the tournament.”

Two All-Americans

The Rams were one of 40 teams in the tournament, which featured both doubles and singles rounds. CSU’s Jarrod Roan was the individual medalist, and he and Montgomery were named first-team All-Americans. Ezequiel Delatorre and Ryan Knuth completed the four-man team.

Montgomery said Colorado is not known for its disc golf prowess, so this championship surprised the rest of the competition and the hundreds of spectators who watched the competition at a four-course complex. He said the Rams put both Colorado and CSU on the disc golf map.

“It was great competing for CSU down there,” he said. “We all took a lot of pride in that.”

Wardrobe boost

The tournament is played one week after the famed Masters golf tournament is played in nearby Augusta, Ga. One of the traditions of the Masters is awarding a green jacket to the winner. Montgomery said the Rams were delighted when they were presented with gray jackets following their 10-shot victory over South Alabama. Host Augusta State was third.

This is the 21^st national championship for a CSU sports club. Other title-winners include: women's lacrosse (2008, 2010, 2011); baseball (2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010); men's lacrosse (1999, 2001, 2003, 2006); women's soccer (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999); men's polo (1990, 1991, 1999); and men's ice hockey (1995).