By Mike Lehman, Tennessee Tech Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – After a very successful inaugural year of hosting its own tournament at Sevierville Golf Club, the Tennessee Tech golf teams will play host to the second annual Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate Monday and Tuesday, once again convening in Sevierville, Tenn.
The women will play 36 holes over two days, competing on the par-70 Highlands Course. Spanning 6,372 yards, the course features four par-5 and six par-3 holes. Thirteen teams will make up the field for the women's side of the tournament, accounting for over 65 participants.
Schools taking part in the event include Austin Peay, Belmont, Eastern Kentucky, Evansville, Indiana State, Marshall, Murray State, two teams from Northern Kentucky, Presbyterian, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, and West Georgia.
The Golden Eagles will look to match last year's success at the event as the Tech squad took home first place in the inaugural tournament. Current Golden Eagle Maddi Everts led the team to the victory, tying for second place with a two-round score of 150 in rough weather conditions.
"Coming off a good finish in Vegas, the girls have built some good momentum leading up to their title defense in Sevierville," said head coach Polk Brown. "The girls have made some good strides in recent weeks, and we look forward to giving ourselves a great opportunity to repeat."
Here's a look at the lineup for the Golden Eagle women's team:
- Whitney Robertson (Fr.)
- Maddi Everts (So.)
- Megan Williamson (So.)
- Lydia Triplett (Fr.)
- Allison Geer (So.)
- Haley Davidson (Fr.) - Individual
The men's teams partaking in the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate will compete over 54 holes on the par-72 River Course, extending over 7,155 yards and featuring four par-5 and four par-3 holes. Monday will feature 36 holes of continuous play while Tuesday will feature the final 18 and any carry over from the previous day. Twelve teams, as well as four individuals from another university, will make up a field of over 65 participants.
Included in that field are teams from Detroit, Eastern Kentucky, Evansville, Longwood, Murray State, Northern Kentucky, Tennessee, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, UT Martin, West Georgia, and Wright State, as well as four members of the Chattanooga Mocs competing as individuals.
The Tech men's team enters the tournament coming off its fourth top five finish of the season, and highest since 2012, after taking second at the Grover Page Classic hosted by UT Martin. Sophomore Adam Cunningham led the Golden Eagles in the event, tying for fourth place to nab All-Tournament honors with a three-round 215.
"After a very strong finish at UT Martin's event, we anticipate a run at another championship this upcoming week in Sevierville," said Brown. "Expectations are very high for our tournament, and we are excited about competing against a very strong field. We look forward to giving ourselves a chance come Tuesday."
Here's a look at the lineup for the Golden Eagle men's team:
- Adam Cunningham (So.)
- Mitch Thomas (So.)
- Lee Whitehead (Jr.)
- Mason Griffin (R-Jr.)
- Bryce Kendrick (So.)
- Maxx Verble (Jr.) - Individual
- Tanner Garland (Sr.) - Individual
Named in memory of legendary Tennessee Tech coach Bobby Nichols, the Tech event enters just its second year of existence. The Golden Eagles captured first place on the women's side of the tournament last year while Ohio Valley Conference foe UT Martin took home first on the men's side.
Nichols took over the Tennessee Tech men's golf program in 1979 and was responsible for establishing the Golden Eagle women's team in 1986. A Hall of Famer for both Tennessee Tech and the OVC, he lost his battle with cancer in 2008 at the age of 66.
Current head coach Polk Brown played for Nichols from 2001-2006 and was named Tech's head coach in 2011.
"It means a lot to have it named after coach Nichols," Brown said. "He did so many great things for golf here at Tennessee Tech and for the state as well. When I became the coach here, one of the things I wanted to do was have a tournament in his name. It's an honor to do this for the University and for him."
