The Napa Valley College men’s golf team, from left, Brayden Dixon, Anthony Guiomar, Nick DeBellis, Jaxen Perryman, Tyler Momono, Markus Nanpei, Matthew Commander.Courtesy photo
Posted: Apr 23, 2024
By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com
The Napa Valley College men's golf team clinched the Big 8 Conference North Division title at Monday's tournament, played at Elkhorn Golf Club in Stockton.
"Going into it, they knew what was at stake," said Bob Freschi, the Storm's head coach. "It was a tough day for us. But we grinded and we did what we had to do overall. Our goal was to come in first in our North Division and that's what we did.
"So, good job. Nobody can ever take that away from you. It's difficult to win these things. So, I'm very proud of what we've accomplished in our program and where we're at."
Napa Valley finished in fourth place in the four-team field, shooting 410, at Elkhorn Golf Club. It was the 11th tournament of the Big 8 Conference-North Division spring season. The Storm has won six Big 8 Conference North Division tournaments so far.
"You just can't look at today. You've got to look at what we've done the last 11 matches," said Freschi. "I'm proud of the guys. It's not easy. And what they've done is commit to our program, commit to what we're teaching and what we're doing, and enjoying their work. Very proud of our team."
Only 10 shots separated Napa Valley from first place at Elkhorn Golf Club.
Sierra College-Rocklin won the tournament with a 400-team score.
Modesto Junior College was second with a 406-team score.
In third place was San Joaquin Delta College-Stockton with a 409-team score.
"Really narrow – you've got to be on your tee shot. Smaller greens," said Freschi. "But we didn't keep the ball in play. We didn't play well. In retrospect, we should have just hit irons or hybrid off the tee. It's a tricky course, with tough greens. It's also tree-lined. So, you're going to be behind trees if you miss the fairway. There's a couple of holes where (out of bounds) sneaks up on you, and it got us a few times. A few times, we drove the ball into the penalty area with driver. Just bad mistakes, that shouldn't be happening at this stage. But it did today."
Nick DeBellis' 79 led Napa Valley.
Markus Nanpei was next, posting an 81 and also clinching the No. 1 spot as an individual in the Big 8 Conference North Division.
"Extremely proud of him," said Freschi. "We've got some guys battling it out for All-Conference, which we'll find out on Wednesday at Chardonnay."
Napa Valley is the host of the Big 8 Conference's 12th tournament on Wednesday at Chardonnay Golf Club & Vineyards, in American Canyon. It's the Storm's home course. Tee times start at 11:33 a.m.
"We've got to play better. Playing well at our home course leads into a nonconference match in Fresno next week. And then we'll do a practice run at Yolo Fliers and then the NorCal championships," said Freschi.
Also, playing for the Storm at Elkhorn:
Matthew Commander, 82; Anthony Guiomar, 83; Tyler Momono, 85; Brayden Dixon, 87.
"The ultimate goal was to win conference," said Freschi. "Our last conference match is at home. We have something to play for at home, hopefully in front of our fans, and then get some momentum going into the NorCal championships.
"Our next goal is to win the NorCals and then qualify to get into the states."
The Northern California Regional Championships are May 5 and 6 at Yolo Fliers Club in Woodland. It's an eight-team event, with the top four teams advancing to the California Community College Athletic Association State Championships in May at Sandpiper Golf Club, in Goleta.
* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.
