No. 1 Bulldogs show promise in 1st event

No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast got on the van after finishing up its first golf tournament of the year in great spirits.

The brand-new Bulldogs, playing six freshmen, moved up one spot on the final day of the NJCAA Championship Preview in Plymouth, Ind.

"I couldn't be any more pleased even though it was a fifth-place finish," coach Brad Thornton said. "I thought the guys competed their tails off in their first college tournament. With 36 holes yesterday and getting acclimated to new course conditions, it's something we're going to have to get used to for the national championship."

Logan Jensen (Fr., Diamondhead/Hancock) shot even par to improve five spots for a 16^th-place finish on Swan Lake Golf Resort's Black Course. He had only had seven pars, balancing six bogeys with four birdies and an eagle. Jensen rebounded from a 36-hole Tuesday that saw him shoot 6-under throwing out one bad hole in each round.

"He put himself in position to make a lot of birdies today," Thornton said. "He took advantage of the easier holes."

Jayden Owensby (Fr., Hernando/Hernando) and Matthew Bond (Fr., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) shot 73 and 72, respectively. Neither shot worse than 74 in their three rounds.

Cal Wier (Fr., Hernando/Lewisburg), who played as an individual, shot 1-over to get his taste of success in his first college outing.

"I'm excited to see what we do getting back to work starting this weekend," Thornton said. "We'll start preparing to go back up to Michigan and play at a really high level. We're trying to make the most of these trips in September."

Gulf Coast heads to Allendale, Mich., later in the month for the Folds of Honor Challenge. The elite field consists mainly of four-year schools.

For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.