The Miami University men's golf team concluded its season last weekend as the RedHawks placed fifth in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
The RedHawks surged into fifth place with a team score of one-under-par in the fourth round.
"[The final round] shows us how good of a team we can be," head coach Zac Zedrick said. "They play four rounds for a conference championship for a reason, and that's to see definitively who the best team is. We were the best team for a day; we just weren't consistent enough to get it done for four days."
The 'Hawks had struggled all season to put their best golf into an entire tournament.
Junior Scott Cahill, who led Miami with a 10th place finish, is confident the good rounds will appear more often next season.
"We didn't necessarily have any tournaments where we put it all together," Cahill said. "But there wasn't a tournament that went by where we didn't have one or two exceptional rounds. We'll back next year, ready to contend for a championship."
Senior Mark MacDonald finished tied for 31st place overall and was satisfied with his last round as a RedHawk.
"While I was playing today it kind of crept into my mind that it was the last round I'd be playing," MacDonald said. "It was definitely good to end on a good note, both for me personally, and also the team played well today."
Though MacDonald had played his last tournament Sunday, he was not ready to believe it.
"It really hasn't sunk in yet," MacDonald said. "Miami's been a great place for me and they've done a lot for me. It's been a great journey."
Cahill said he has learned a lot from MacDonald and senior Austin Kelly.
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"You can probably say it with any team in any sport," Cahill said. "Seniors are invaluable to a team. Everything that they bring to the table, you can't replace. You can only try to step in as an upcoming senior and just do your part. You can't replace seniors ever, I think, on any team."
Sophomore Jack Sparling also played well, shooting 13-over-par for the tournament and finishing tied for 23rd overall.
Freshman Greg Conrad shot Miami's lowest individual round of tournament, as he shot two-under-par in the fourth round and finished tied for 35th overall. Sophomore Daniel Schwarz rounded out the 'Hawks lineup in a tie for 37th place.
Kent State University won the nine-team tournament. The Golden Flashes slipped to three-over-par as a team after a 15-over-par final round.
Although the RedHawks' just season ended, Zedrick is already looking ahead to the fall.
"We've got the potential to have a really, really good year next year," Zedrick said. "We've got to get more consistent, we've got to do a better job of dealing with pressure, but I'm pretty amped up. I'm pretty amped up, I wish it was August already."
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