In its first team appearance in the NCAA Championships in seven years, the NC State men’s golf team tied for 24th at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The Wolfpack finished 33 strokes above par with a team score of 897 over the three-day event. 

A strong showing on the first day had the Pack sitting in 14th place, 12 strokes back of the leader with a score of 292. However, the Pack shot the second highest score of the day on the second day, shooting a 303 before closing out with a 302 on the final day.

Sophomore Benjamin Shipp shot the overall low score for the Pack, going 70, 76, 79 for a final score of 225 (+9). Shipp finished tied for 83rd out of 155 golfers.

Junior Stephen Franken came in for the Pack with scores of 75, 76 and 77 for a combined score of a 12-over 228, tied for 107th overall. Freshman Easton Paxton was the only other member of the team to play all three qualifying rounds and placed tied for 137th with an overall score of a 17-over 233, going 76, 78, 79.

Juniors Harrison Rhoades and Nolan Mills each played two rounds for the Pack, with Rhoades shooting a 71 on Day 1 and a 75 on Day 3, and Mills shooting a 75 on Day 2 and 71 on Day 3, giving both golfers a combined score of 146.

The Wolfpack failed to qualify for Day 4, as only the top 15 teams made it, with the highest score to advance being 882. The Pack fell 15 strokes short of advancing.

The Pack’s season ends after a strong showing (3rd out of 14 teams) in the NCAA Regional at Lonnie Poole Golf Course propelled the Pack to its best finish in the NCAA Championships since 2006 (12th place).

The Wolfpack’s 2018 success was somewhat of a surprise, as the Pack is a young team, relying heavily on two underclassmen, Shipp and Paxton and is in its first year under head coach Press McPhaul. 

NC State won’t be losing anyone to graduation, and will look to enter the 2019 season with a veteran roster (eight 2018-19 juniors and seniors) that just gained valuable NCAA Championship experience.