Tiger Men's Golf Earns 2025 NCAA Division III Tourney Bid
SPRINGFIELD, OH — Wittenberg Men's Golf has been invited to compete in the 2025 NCAA Division III Championships after earning an automatic bid by winning the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament on May 3.
The Tigers posted a tremendous three-day total of 858 strokes on the 6,897-yard, par-72 North and West courses at Otter Creek Golf Course to defeat pre-tournament favorite and defending conference champion Kenyon by four strokes and win the 13th NCAC title in program history. The Tigers are making their fourth straight NCAA Division III Tournament appearance and the 30th in program history. The 2017 NCAA Division III Men's Golf National Champion, Wittenberg finished 15th in last year's NCAA Division III Championships, which took place at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nevada.
The 2025 NCAA Division III Championships will take place May 20-23 at Midvale Country Club in Penfield, New York. In addition to Midvale, first and second round competition will be played simultaneously at Cobblestone Creek Country Club in Victor, New York. The team and individual champions will be determined after four rounds (72 holes) of play or the conclusion of the last fully completed round. Forty-three teams and 10 individuals not on one of those teams were selected to compete in the event, adding up to a total of 225 participants. After 36 holes of competition, the field will be cut to the top 18 teams and top six individuals not on one of those teams.
"Earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament is a reflection of our team's relentless work, discipline, and believe in one another," said Wittenberg Men's and Women's Golf Head Coach David Wetterich, class of 2014. "We set the goal of winning the conference championship from day one, and to see it become a reality is incredibly rewarding. We are honored to have an opportunity to compete at the national championship and represent Wittenberg with pride."
Wetterich and his assistants, Jon Yarbrough and Kurt Heintz, earned NCAC Coaching Staff of the Year, the 12th time that Tiger leadership has earned the top NCAC coaching honor in men's golf. Now in his third season at the helm, Wetterich guided the Tigers to seven top-10 finishes in 2024-25, including four first-place finishes: Denison's Ted Barclay Invitational, Wittenberg's Jeff Roope Invitational, the Win Palmer Cup, hosted by Wittenberg in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, and the NCAC Championship, hosted by Wabash in Columbus, Indiana.
Individually, freshman Mitch Bolte (Newark, OH / Newark) earned one of two special awards from the NCAC, becoming just the second Tiger in program history to earn Newcomer of the Year. Bolte has earned three top-10 finishes in the 2024-25 season, including a fifth-place finish in the 2025 NCAC Championship with a two-under total of 214 (71-68-75). He is currently the fourth-highest ranked golfer in the NCAC. In addition, he ranks No. 16 in Region V and No. 113 in all of Division III.
Freshman Mikey Schutte (Cincinnati, OH / Elder) and senior Jake Yarbrough (Dublin, OH / Jerome) were selected for second-team All-NCAC honors, and junior Mark Sulek (Delaware, OH / Hayes) and senior Joshua Wright (Wadsworth, OH / Akron Hoban) were selected to the third team.