Swanson earns first-team status at H-10 conference golf meet
COUNCIL BLUFFS (May 6) -- Jay Swanson became the first Harlan Community boys golfer in five years to earn first team all-conference status Monday, placing sixth in the Hawkeye Ten Boys Golf Tournament at Council Bluffs’ Fox Run.
Swanson carded 10 pars and two birdies over 18 holes, including a string of six straight pars to start his round. He shot 39 on the front nine and 38 on the back for a six-over-par 77 - tied for the fourth best round of the day. Atlantic’s Cyle Renaud and Kuemper’s Cole Collison also shot 77 but placed above Swanson in the scorecard playoff based on the results of a handicap hole.
By placing in the top six, however, Swanson, a senior, achieved the Cyclones’ best conference finish since Ross Martens won the tournament in 2014. The top six finishers are considered first team all-conference while the next six are second-teamers.
“This all-conference honor is well-deserved and impressive as our conference is loaded with great golfers year in and year out,” stated HCHS coach Chad Swanson.
As a team, the Cyclones tied St. Albert for the sixth-best score (344) but placed seventh out of 11 squads based on the tiebreaker of both teams’ fifth score.
Atlantic repeated as the Hawkeye Ten champion by one stroke (314-315) over Glenwood while Ram senior Ryan Leath also defended his individual title with an even-par 71 - three strokes better than Braden Smith of Atlantic. The top five teams also included Kuemper in third (321), Lewis Central fourth (326) and Denison-Schleswig fifth (340).
In addition to Swanson’s 77, the Cyclone scorecard included an 86 (seven pars, one birdie) for senior Blake Goshorn, an 88 by Jacob Dotzler, 93s from Mason Peters and Nathan Schiltz and a 101 for Darren Stein.