Lindenwood Magazine - Spring 2023

16 17 SPRING 2023 EDITION THE LINDENWOOD THE LINDENWOOD SPRING 2023 EDITION ATHLETICS LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY LINDENWOOD ATHLETICS The Lindenwood men’s golf team earned its first tournament victory at the NCAA Division I level February 10–11 with a first-place finish at the Carpenter-Chaney Classic in Mims, Florida. Lindenwood defeated Omaha, Missouri State, and Morehead State to capture the tournament title. After rolling past Omaha 4–0–1 in its first match, the final two matches for Lindenwood were a little tighter. The contest against Missouri State came down to the last pairing for the Lions as Mackenzie Holmes birdied the final two holes to seal the victory. The championship match against Morehead State followed the same storyline as Lindenwood needed a birdie from Renato Filho on the 18th hole to push the Lions over the top. Filho sank a 28-foot birdie to capture the victory for the Lions. Filho was later named Ohio Valley Conference Golfer of the Week. “Obviously, extremely proud of the guys,” Lions Head Coach Derek Schaub said. “Three matches that all came down to the final holes truly shows the resiliency and fire these guys have to not only compete but win at the D-I level. Truly gutsy performances from all six guys this week. So happy this group made history and will be remembered as the team that won the first D-I tournament at Lindenwood.” The Lindenwood swimming and diving program, which was picked second and third, respectively, in the Summit League preseason poll, delivered by putting together a strong weekend at its first-ever Summit League Championships in Minneapolis. During the season, Lindenwood student-athletes broke 21 program records and achieved seven NCAA Division I “B” cuts. “In our inaugural Division I season and first season in the Summit League, we were able to find success on multiple levels,” Lions Head Coach Jason Owen said. “We took on many new opponents and performed well under pressure.” The Lions had 19 members across both squads garner all-league honors after the men’s team took second place, while the women finished third. For their performance at the championships, four student-athletes earned major awards. Owen was tabbed men’s swimming Coach of the Year, while Elliott Irwin was named men’s swimming MVP of the championships, David Molina-Fregenal won men’s Diving MVP and Johan Cue Carrillo received Newcomer of the championships honors. Stephanie Marks took home the women’s Scholar Athlete of the Championships. “I am proud of our athletes for responding to the challenges this season,” Owen said. “We are focused on improving our standing within the Summit League and the Division I in future seasons and this season provided momentum to reach our future goals.” The Lions crowned five conference champions and broke five conference records. The team saw continued success at their first National Invitational Championship, crowning two national champions, as the men finished sixth and the women took 32nd. MEN’S GOLF SWIMMING AND DIVING DEREK SCHAUB … So happy this group made history and will be remembered as the team that won the first D-I tournament at Lindenwood. JASON OWEN We are focused on improving our standing within the Summit League and the Division I in future seasons and this season provided momentum to reach our future goals.