Alabama notches NCDGC bid with second place finish
February 20, 2017 by Baker Helton in Recap with 0 comments
This weekend’s 2017 Alabama Slammer saw traditional collegiate powerhouse Mississippi State beating up on host Alabama and upstart Arkansas State, proving that an improvement on the Bulldogs’ 13th place finish in last year’s National Collegiate Disc Golf Championships might be in the offing.
Mississippi State’s 51-under par 289 team total bested ‘Bama’s 43-under par 297 by eight and Arkansas State’s 37-under par 303 by a staggering 14. Steven Hillerman led the way for the Bulldogs, taking home the individual title in a playoff after shooting an 8-under par 50. Hillerman held off Arkansas State’s Kellan McCann, the Mid-South Collegiate Open individual champion, by knocking down a 35-foot putt on the first playoff hole before closing the event during the second extra frame. University of Mississippi’s Alan Logan rounded out the top three with a 7-under par 51.
After Hillerman’s victory allowed Mississippi State to get off to a hot start, the Bulldogs were able to capitalize in Sunday’s captain’s choice doubles round to salt away the victory. With Mississippi State receiving a berth from their finish in last year’s collegiate championship, Alabama’s second place finish found the Crimson Tide punching their ticket to the NCDGC in April.
The collegiate schedule takes a break next weekend before picking up on March 4-5 with two events. The University of Oregon will host the Northwest Collegiate Invitational, which will give out three NCDGC bids, while the Georgia Tech Invitational will also hand out one entry.
