No. 2 Gulf Coast looking to finish atop NJCAA

Mississippi Gulf Coast finished third at the national championship for the second straight year. With two golfers who finished tied for second individually returning, there's no doubt where the Bulldogs' sights are set in 2016.

"If we don't win a national championship this year, we've really fallen short of our goal," coach Tommy Snell said. "We have a legitimate chance to win it all. It doesn't mean we're the favorite, but we have a legitimate chance to win if we keep working hard. I'm excited about our chances."

The Bulldogs, ranked second in the latest Bushnell Golfweek NJCAA Division II Coaches Poll, have won eight straight Region 23 titles and are defending MACJC champs, having won the state six times in eight years. The Bulldogs won two of the first four MACJC events held in the fall, finishing second in the other four events overall.

The team won the MGCCC Fall Invitational, which included four-year schools, and finished second at the Christian Brothers Fall Invitational, which was all four-year schools.

Grant Motter and Phillip Hickam return from their impressive freshman seasons. They capped their seasons at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Scottsboro, Ala.

"When you have two people finish runner-up in the national championship and they come back, it's easy to build the team around that," Snell said. "That's like have a great quarterback and a great running back to build around."

Motter won the Hubert Tucker Award last year for having the lowest average in MACJC events last year, and he was medalist at the state and region tournaments.

Hickam has signed a scholarship with the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga to continue his collegiate golf career.

George Kawell, who has committed to play golf at Delta State, was also part of the strong five-man team that competed in the national tournament. Fellow sophomores Connor Crabbe, Tyler Schingle and Jesse Sunderman join him.

"I have several sophomores who were part of that team last year who can step up," Snell said. "I'm waiting to see which one of them puts in that effort."

Snell has a talented group of freshman pushing for spots, too. Colin Troxler, who finished ninth at last year's Louisiana Amateur Championship, placed second at three fall tournaments, including two MACJC events.

"He's an excellent tournament player. He's not afraid to win. He's not afraid to hit a shot," Snell said. "He's very confident. Confidence is so important in all sports, but in golf when it's just you out there, confidence is everything."

Wyatt Adkison, Brandon Fontenot and Jonathon Newman are important cogs in the program, providing depth of talent that pushes the entire team to better performances by tamping down complacency.

Gulf Coast took an important step in becoming a national power last year.

"The main thing was we had finished third the year before. That was our first NJCAA national trophy (given to the top three teams)," Snell said. "One time is one thing. They always say to validate it is something else. This team really validated that. They had a real chance for first or second. Third is extraordinary."

The goal this year is two places up the standings.