(Editor's note: MSUB Athletics release)
BILLINGS – Helping lead the Montana State University Billings men’s golf team to its first-ever NCAA Regional Championship, senior Garrett Woodin and sophomore Kevin Kolb have each been selected to the all-conference team, as announced by the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
Woodin, a fifth-year senior from Billings, was a first-team all-GNAC selection, and Kolb, a sophomore from Spearfish, South Dakota, earned second-team honors.
Woodin ranked fifth in the GNAC in scoring this season, with an average of 74.8 strokes per round in his final year in a Yellowjacket uniform. Woodin had three top-10 finishes and a pair of top-five finishes, including taking third place at the 2021 GNAC Championships last week. Woodin’s season-best three-round score of 219 was the best of any Yellowjacket player, and he made par or better in three of his 15 rounds on the year.
Woodin ranks eighth in MSUB history with a career scoring average of 75.64 strokes per round, and his 110 rounds played are the most in school history. Woodin is just the third player in MSUB history to earn first team honors, joining Gage Huft (2013) and Jake Hedge (2015).
“What a great honor for Garrett,” said MSUB head coach Jeff Allen. “He has been so close to this recognition throughout his career and was finally able to accomplish it. He’s been the top player for the ‘Jackets for a long time, and he has continued to get better every year. His biggest attribute was that he made his team better through the way he approached the game. The younger guys have learned a lot from him and his impact on this program will be seen for many years.”
Kolb ranked second on the team in scoring average this spring, with a mark of 75.80 strokes per round. In his second year in the program, Kolb played in 10 rounds and tied for the team’s lowest round of the year when he shot a 2-under-par 70 on April 6 at the Mustang Intercollegiate.
Kolb’s season was highlighted by a victory at the South Dakota Mines Hardrocker Classic, as he hoisted the crown after a two-round total of 148 (74-74). Playing in the GNAC Championships for the first time in his career, Kolb finished in 12th place.
“Kevin really started to show his potential this year, and I’m really happy for him that he received this honor,” Allen said. “The best part about Kevin is that his ceiling is incredibly high and he will continue to improve and be a major factor on his team and in the GNAC. He is a hard worker with a lot of talent, which will take him as far as he wants to go in this program.”
Tyler Fitchett of Saint Martin’s University, who won the individual GNAC title, was picked by the coaches as the GNAC Player of the Year. His teammate Nick Baker was the GNAC Newcomer of the Year, the Saints’ Kevin Bishop was GNAC Coach of the Year, and Lane Strand of Northwest Nazarene University earned GNAC Freshman of the Year honors.
MSUB’s men’s golf team is preparing for the 2021 NCAA West/South Central Regional Championship, which is scheduled for May 6-8 at The Home Course in DuPont, Washington. It will be the first time in school history MSUB has sent a full team to the regional playoffs.
