FINAL RESULTS || HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Henderson State finished off a wire-to-wire victory at the 2014 Great American Conference Men's Golf Championships to claim its first conference title since future PGA Tour winner Ken Duke led the Reddies to the 1992 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (NAIA) championship.
The Reddies turned in a record-setting performance with a three-day total of 10-over 874, 17 strokes better than any previous GAC team total. Matt Jennings carded consecutive 2-under par 70's during Tuesday's 36-hole final to finish as the individual runner-up. Brice Howard shot even par for the day and 4-over for the tournament to tie for fourth and land on the All-Tournament team. Gil Debusscher recorded a top-10 finish with Wess Webb (T-18th) and
Joseph Hausberger (T-28th) rounding out the championship effort.
Arkansas Tech held steady with a second-place finish. Alex Mahlik shot 4-under 68 in the second round en route to a third-place finish. Brian Belz, the 2013 individual champion, closed with a 2-under 70 to tie for eighth. Southeastern Oklahoma State finished in third followed by Southwestern Oklahoma State and Harding.
In the individual competition, Southern Nazarene's Michael Hearne left the remaining 54 players in his wake as he put together rounds of 71 and 65 - a GAC Championship 18-hole record - to finish at 11 under, nine shots clear of Jennings for his sixth tournament victory in nine starts this year. He broke the tournament scoring record by eight shots. After a first-round 72, his teammate, John Abrahamsson, played Tuesday's 36 holes in 2-over to finish tied for fouth.
Harding's Lucas Collins and Southwestern Oklahoma State's Jake Duvall earned All-Tournament honors by tying for sixth place.
The Reddies earn the GAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Central Region Tournament, set to begin on Monday, May 5 from Fox Run Golf Club in Eureka, Mo. Four GAC teams, as well as the Reddies entered the week ranked inside the top 10 of Central Region - Arkansas Tech, second; Southeastern Oklahoma State, seventh; Southwestern Oklahoma State, ninth and Harding, 10th. The NCAA will announce the field on Friday, April 25 at 3 p.m.