EWC golf teams sweep NJC tournament titles in windy conditions
EWC golf teams sweep NJC tournament titles in windy conditions
STERLING, Colo. – Eastern Wyoming College’s men’s and women’s golf teams both claimed first place at the Northeastern Junior College tournament held April 2–3 in Sterling, Colorado, overcoming challenging weather conditions to top the leaderboard.
“I was proud of the way both teams played on Thursday,” EWC golf coach Zach Smith said. “It was pretty windy once again this week, so for the guys to shoot under par in some fairly windy conditions is huge for us as we continue spring golf.”
The Lady Lancers delivered a dominant performance, placing all seven golfers in the top 10. Freshman Ashlyn Matheson led the way, capturing her first collegiate victory with a +4, finishing four strokes ahead of teammate Jessica Applegarth.
“The girls played very well too, especially Ashlyn, as she got her first college win this week,” Smith said.
EWC’s Elliann Irick and Madison Fujimoto tied for third place at +11, while Sara Maciej finished tied for fifth with a +12. Bailey Watson (+13) and Georgie Paterakis (+17) rounded out the top-10 finishes in eighth and ninth place, respectively.
The Lady Lancers secured the team title with a combined score of +35, finishing 30 strokes ahead of second-place Central Wyoming College.
On the men’s side, Freddie Dancox and Ben Brown paced the Lancers with a tie for fourth place, each shooting a -1. Landen Gilmore and Josh White finished in a five-way tie for seventh place, while Jamie Lambert placed tied for 12th at +1. Kaden Linford followed in a tie for 16th with a +2. Nash Coleman, Jace Nielsen, Josh Lance and Aiden Walker also competed for EWC.
The Lancer men claimed the team championship with a score of -2, edging Central Wyoming College, which finished at +2.
Weather ultimately shortened the event, as high winds forced officials to cancel the final round.
“We tried playing Friday for about five holes, but the tournament ended up being called by the Northeastern Junior College coach because of incredibly high winds that kept getting worse throughout the morning,” Smith said.
Despite the shortened tournament, Smith said both teams are gaining momentum at a critical point in the season.
“Both teams are trending in the right direction as we head into the final two weeks of region play before the guys head to Colorado for the district tournament and the girls head to Kansas for their district tournament,” he said.
Eastern Wyoming College will return to action this week as it hosts its home invitational at Cottonwood Country Club.
“We are looking forward to hosting our home invite this week at Cottonwood Country Club,” Smith said. “The grounds crew have the course looking great right now.”
2025-26 Region IV Spring NJC w-points – one day
2025-26 Region IV Spring NJC – one day
A person wearing black pants and a black hat is swinging a golf club on a grassy course, with a golf bag nearby. Another golfer is visible in the background under a clear sky.
A young woman in a pink tank top and white skirt prepares to swing a golf club on a sunny day, standing on a grassy golf course with trees and a clear blue sky in the background.
A young woman with long, wavy blonde hair and blue eyes smiles while standing outdoors. She is wearing a white collared shirt and is in front of a background of green trees.
A person swings a golf club on a grassy course with tall trees in the background under a clear blue sky. They are mid-swing, wearing a dark shirt, shorts, and white athletic shoes.