UMHB had a disastrous closing stretch Friday at Chateau Elan Resort’s Chateau Course and slipped from seventh to 10th place in the final standings, capping the 29-year coaching career of Mann.
In their first appearance at the national tournament, the Crusaders closed with a 26-over-par 310 for a four-round total of 1,221. The consolation prize was a top-10 finish for Mann, who will begin his new job of UMHB’s associate director of athletics next month.
“The emotions were tough at times,” said Mann, the school’s men’s golf coach for the past nine seasons. “I was thinking that I have to be the luckiest guy in the world to have a job where you get to travel and be with kids and be on the golf course. I went through all of the emotions, but I’m also looking forward to the next stage in my life.”
Senior Casey Wharton had the best individual finish for UMHB with a tie for 19th place. His 74-74-76-77-301 total earned him All-America honors, which came as a surprise.
“He missed a 3-foot putt on the last hole to go from 15th to 19th,” Mann said. “At the time, we thought only the top 15 were named All-Americans, so Casey was devastated. He was crying and was hard to console.
“Then when they called his name (at the post-tournament banquet), he was shocked, stunned and really excited.”
UMHB junior Davis Dewald (78-78-71-77-304) tied for 33rd. Sophomore Eric White (84-75-73-77-309), the American Southwest Conference champion, tied for 50th. Senior Ryan Eastman (81-75-78-79-313) tied for 70th and sophomore Garrison Nordt (78-83-80-79-320) tied for 100th.
Only three teams posted a higher final-round score than the Crusaders. UMHB was passed on the last day by Wesley (Del.), Huntingdon (Ala.) and La Verne (Calif.), which closed with rounds of 293, 299 and 308, respectively.
UMHB started on the back nine and had grabbed sole possession of seventh at one point before struggling near the end of its round on the front side, where the Crusaders played the final four holes in 10 over.
During that stretch, Wharton had a birdie to go with two bogeys. Dewald double-bogeyed the par-3 eighth hole, as did Nordt, who added a bogey at the ninth, and White doubled the par-3 sixth before making back-to-back bogeys.
“It was the final four holes that doomed us the last two days,” Mann said. “They played really tough today, into the wind. We just didn’t finish strong. We always talk about finishing a round just as strong as you start it, but we didn’t do it.
“The kids were disappointed. But to finish in the top 10 in the first trip here is a great accomplishment for them.”
St. John’s (Minn.) won its second straight national title, closing with a 291 to finish at 1,192. Redlands (Calif.) was three shots back in second place and St. John Fisher (N.Y.) - which led after the previous two rounds - fell to third after a final-round 306.
St. John Fisher’s Scott Harris Jr. carded a four-round total of 1-over 285 to win the individual title by five shots over Illinois Wesleyan’s Chris Green.
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