Northeast Edges Kirkwood at North Central District Preview
The Northeast Hawks clinched a narrow victory over Kirkwood on Monday at the North Central District Preview, held at Whispering Creek. In the single-round event, Northeast posted a team score of +25, just edging out the Eagles, who finished at +26.
Everyone battled through treacherous conditions as there were cold temperatures, wind and hail throughout the afternoon. Northeast traded the lead with Kirkwood all day until Tyler Baumchen buried a 40-foot putt on the last hole to secure the team victory for the Hawks.
Despite not having a player in the top five individually, the Hawks displayed impressive consistency. All four of their scoring golfers placed inside the top 14, led by Bryson Parker with a 5-over round. Jacob Harnden followed closely at +6, while both Baumchen and Luke Bonser carded scores of +7.
The individual title went to Hawkeye Community College sophomore Kaeden Anderson. The Irish standout fired a 2-over round, highlighted by a front-nine 38 and a back-nine 36. His steady performance included two birdies, four bogeys, and 12 pars, marking his fifth tournament victory of the season and 11th top-five finish.
Rounding out the top five individually were Reid Hall (Kirkwood), Peyton Walker (Iowa Central), Mads Svendsen (Southeast Nebraska), and Drew Parsons (Iowa Lakes).
Nine of the 13 teams expected to compete in this year's North Central District Championship participated in the Preview. Notably absent were NIACC, North Platte, Southeastern, and Southwestern.
The teams will return to Whispering Creek in Sioux City from May 3–6 for the District Championships. A practice round is scheduled for Saturday, with tournament play beginning Sunday, May 4. The top three teams from the event will earn automatic berths to the NJCAA National Tournament.