May 1, 2004

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . Wartburg College won its fifth Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) men’s golf Championship and first since 1972 with a 72-hole score of 1188, defeating runner-up and three-time defending Champion Central College by 14 strokes. The Knights’ Kevin Ault (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge HS) earned individual medalist honors with a 289, one stroke ahead of Loras’ Pete Weber (Peosta, Iowa/Western Dubuque HS).

Ault and Weber entered the final round tied at 1-under-par 215 and headed to the final hole of the Championship tied. Ault shot par on the 418-yard 18th hole and Weber, who hooked his tee shot into a lateral hazard, finished with a boggie. Ault, who was named Conference MVP after shooting a final round 74, is Wartburg’s first Conference Medalist since Andy Ott in 1991.

Rounding out the top-10, which are designated All-Conference players, were: Coe’s Josh Ketter who finished third with a 291 after a final round 68, the low round of the Championship; Wartburg’s Andrew Miller (4th, 297), Central’s Alex Schenfeld (5th, 298), Wartburg’s Dan Schmitz (6th, 299), Cornell’s Brock Worley (7th, 301), Luther’s Ben Hanson (8th, 302). Simpson’s Mike Martin and Buena Vista’s Brett Bloemendaal tied at 303, with Martin receiving ninth place after winning on the second hole of sudden death playoff.

Coach of the Year: Wartburg coach Mark Franzen was chosen as the IIAC Men's Golf Coach of the Year for the second time since 2000. He guided Wartburg to three sub-300 rounds in the Conference Championship and coached three top-10 finishers including medalist Ault. Franzen was also selected women’s golf Coach of the Year in the fall 2002.

Complete Conference Championship results are here.

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