Wittenberg adds to men’s golf legacy with 30th NCAA tournament appearance

“We played three great rounds of golf,” coach David Wetterich said.

It was the 13th NCAC championship for Wittenberg and first since 2023 when Wetterich was the first-year coach. The program won 10 straight titles from 2010-19.

Wittenberg finished 13th in the NCAA championships the last time it won the NCAC title in 2023. It earned an at-large berth last year and finished 15th.

The program won the national title in 2017 and has finished in the top 10 six other times in the last nine years: 2014 (fifth); 2015 (third); 2016 (third); 2018 (eighth); 2019 (sixth); and 2022 (seventh).

Entering the national meet this year, Wittenberg ranks 35th in the Scoreboard rankings. This will be its fourth straight NCAA appearance and 30th in program history.

“I know that we’re one of the best teams in the country,” Wetterich said, “but we’ve just kind of had an underwhelming season. We just really haven’t been able to put a fourth or fifth score together and now that we’re hitting that stride, I’m confident that we can go in there and contend.”

In two Georgia tournaments early this season, Wittenberg finished 18th out of 20 teams at the Savannah Invitational and 15th out of 17 teams at the Port City Classic. It finished 15th out of 20 teams at the Tiger Invitational in Pinehurst, N.C., in March, and 10th out of 18 teams at the Capital City Classic in Prattville, Ala., in April.

In the Savannah Invitational, the team finished in 18th out of 20 total teams with a score of 901 over three rounds, at 37 over par. In the Port City Classic, the team finished 15th out of 17 with a score of 946 through three rounds, for 94 over par.

Wittenberg earned its first victory of the spring season at the Win Palmer Club in Sewickley, Pa., on April 15.

Freshman Mikey Schutte, of Cincinnati Elder High School, led Wittenberg at the NCAC championships, finishing third at 5-under. He’s third on the team in stroke average (75.8). He made the All-NCAC second team.

“I saw that in Mikey when I was recruiting him,” Wetterich said. “I knew he was going to be a top-five player.”

Another freshman, Mitch Bolte, of Newark, finished fifth at 2-under. He has the team’s best stroke average (74.4). He was the NCAC Newcomer of the Year and a first-team selection.

“Seeing his work ethic up close is really amazing,” Wetterich said. “I see him in the golf room pretty much every morning.”

Wittenberg’s other top three scorers at the NCAC meet were: Joshua Wright (tied for fifth), a senior from Akron Hoban; Jake Yarbrough (10th), a senior from Dublin Jerome; and Caleb Domitrovich (20th), a sophomore from McDonald, Ohio.

Schutte, Bolte, Wright and Yarbrough will represent Wittenberg at the NCAA championships. Wetterich will round out the top five by picking one more golfer from a group of three: Domitrovich; Ryan Miller, a senior from Dublin Jerome; and Mark Sulek, a junior from Delaware Hayes.

“They’re all worthy of the fifth spot,” Wetterich said.