Results

COON RAPIDS, Minn. – No. 3 Saint John's finished third out of 10 teams at the 2011 MIAC Championship on Monday, Oct. 3, at the Bunker Hills G.C. in Coon Rapids.

St. Thomas won its first conference championship in golf since 1980 with a three-day total of 897 (+33). No. 14 Gustavus Adolphus snuck past the Johnnies with the day's best round, a two-over par 290, to finish second with a 901 (+37). SJU claimed third with a 902 (+38), including a 299 (+11) on Monday. St. Thomas' Alex Kapraun and St. Olaf's Justin Volling tied for medalist honors with a five-over par 221.

The third-place finish is the lowest for SJU since 1998 (fifth).

Senior Alex Klehr (Mankato, Minn./West), junior Dennis Granath (Bandhagen, Sweden/Farsta Gymnasium) and sophomore Casey Vangsness (Alexandria, Minn.) led SJU with a two-over par 74 each. Vangsness finished in a tie for third with a three-day total of 223 (+7), while Granath posted a 225 (+9) to tie for seventh. Both earned All-MIAC honors (top 10, including ties).

Senior Tony Krogen (Marshall, Minn.) recorded a five-over par 77 Monday to finish in a tie for 12th (+13, 229) and Klehr ended with a 232 (+16) to tie for 21st. Junior Andy Stahlman (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) claimed 29th with a 235 (+19).

SJU lost eight shots from its final three golfers on the final two holes: Granath bogeyed Nos. 17 and 18, while both Krogen and Vangsness double-bogeyed No. 17 and bogeyed the final hole. Klehr birdied the par-four No. 17.

The Johnnies won the NCAA Division III Championship (Spring 2008) the last time they did not win the conference title (Fall 2007). SJU will now be in the hunt for a Pool C berth to the 2012 NCAA Division III Championship May 15-18 in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. Six institutions, including Gustavus, earned Pool C berths to last year's national tournament. The Gusties finished fifth at the 2010 MIAC Championship.

The last time SJU failed to have a golfer fire an even-par 72 or lower in a round at the MIAC Championship was 2004. The Johnnies won the conference title that fall by seven shots over the Tommies.

The tournament concludes a busy week for SJU, which played six rounds of competitive golf in nine days, including the prestigious Gordin Classic Sept. 25-27 in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.

SJU ends the fall portion of its 2011-12 schedule at the Twin Cities Classic this Saturday-Monday, Oct. 8-11. The tournament is scheduled to be played at the Links at Northfork (Ramsey) Saturday, Elk River C.C. (Elk River) Sunday and Rush Creek G.C. (Maple Grove) Monday.