Saint John's junior Sam Olson (Sioux Falls, S.D./O'Gorman) earned medalist honors with a three-round total of 215 (-1) as No. 16 Saint John's won the 2016 MIAC Championship by 18 shots Oct. 8-10 at Bunker Hills G.C. (par 72) in Coon Rapids. It is the 11th time a Johnnie has earned medalist honors at the MIAC Championship, and first since Brett Draxler '15 did so in 2013. Olson was named the MIAC Men's Golf Athlete of the Week Oct. 11 for his performance.
For the first time in the program's history, the Johnnies claimed the top two individuals at the conference tournament. Olson matched senior Ryan Gallagher's (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View) three-over par 75 in the final round Monday to finish two shots ahead of his teammate in second place.
Olson posted a four-under par 68, the third-best single round by a Johnnie at the conference tournament in school history, on Sunday to help fuel SJU to a 284 (-4), which set a school record for a single round at the MIAC Championship. The round enabled SJU, which entered Sunday's round in second place by one stroke, to build a 17-shot lead with a two-round total of 582 (+6).
With the win, SJU earned the MIAC's automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Division III Championship May 16-19 at Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. The Johnnies finished in a tie for eighth out of 18 teams on the same course Sept. 18-20 at the elite Division III Preview.
The national-tournament appearance will be the Johnnies' 15th in the last 18 seasons. SJU has finished in the top 15 at nationals in 13 of the previous 14 appearances. The conference title was SJU's 12th in golf and 11th under the direction of head coach Bob Alpers '81.
