Friday, April 26
Westfield, IN
All Day
Ball State University
vs
Mid-American Conference
Photo by: Michael Hickey
Cardinals Secure MAC Men's Golf Championship
April 28, 2024 | Men's Golf
MAC Championship CentralLeaderboardRound 1 Photo GalleryRound 2 Photo GalleryRound 3 Photo GalleryPhoto Gallery
Fleck Named MAC Coach of the Year; Bellar and Khan Earn All-Tournament Honors
WESTFIELD, Ind. – The Ball State men's golf team displayed its depth in the final round of the 2024 Mid-American Conference Championships on Sunday, placing three golfers in the top eight to win its first league title under head coach Mike Fleck -- and the program's first since 1986. The Cardinals outdistanced Miami University by five strokes after being tied with the RedHawks after 18 holes and trading leads throughout Saturday's second round.
Junior Ali Kahn (212) paced a balanced Ball State lineup with one of the best rounds of his career, at one point sitting at 5-under par for the day and 9-under for the tournament. He fired five birdies on Sunday and finished in a fourth-place tie with teammate Kash Bellar (212), who finished in the same spot as he did in the 2023 MAC Championships. Kahn and Bellar, tied with Miami's Danny Fisher (212) in fourth, both were named to the all-tournament team, finishing seven strokes behind Toledo's Barend Botha (205), who won his second straight title.
Bryce Reed (208) of Kent State and Ian Bruchhauser (209) finished in second and third place, but the leaderboard was dominated by Cardinals. Behind Kahn and Bellar, freshman Alec Cesare (214) finished in eighth place and sophomore Carter Smith was 11th (216). For Cesare who played just minutes from his home in Westfield, his 2-under-par showing on a windy Championship Sunday was the tournament's best round of the day. It was the first top-10 finish of his career.
Ball State nearly became the MAC's first team since Kent State in 2021 to place four individual golfers in the tournament's top 10. The championship was Ball State's fourth MAC title overall, adding 2024 to championships in 1975, 1982 and 1986 under legendary coach Earl Yestingsmeier – Fleck's former coach and mentor.
Fleck, the former Cardinals player who lettered in 1991 and 1992, finished the afternoon named as the MAC's Coach of the Year. He took over as head coach of his alma mater in August 1998 and, over 26 seasons, has garnered now 10 top three finishes and two coach of the year awards. Fleck's clubs have been in MAC contention almost annually, and have now finished first and second in consecutive seasons.
Now, the Cardinals await the NCAA Selection Show on Wednesday, to determine the site at which they will begin NCAA Regional competition for the first time since Fleck's club earned an at-large bid in 2013. Last year, when Ball State was edged in the MAC Championships by Northern Illinois, the Cardinals claimed a fourth-place finish in the inaugural National Golf Invitational, with Bellar winning the individual title.
Ball State Individual Results, Final
No. 3 Ali Khan (212): 37-33—70 | 35-35—70 | 34-38—72 (-4, 4th)
No. 2 Kash Bellar (212): 36-34—70 | 34-35—69 | 38-35—73 (-4, 4th)
No. 5 Alec Cesare (214): 37-36—73 | 36-35—71 | 34-36—70 (-2, 8th)
No. 1 Carter Smith (216): 36-34—70 | 34-36—70 | 37-39—76 (E, 11th)
No. 4 Braxton Kuntz (226): 37-36—73 | 34-39—73 | 39-41—80 (+10, 29th)
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Junior Ali Kahn (212) paced a balanced Ball State lineup with one of the best rounds of his career, at one point sitting at 5-under par for the day and 9-under for the tournament. He fired five birdies on Sunday and finished in a fourth-place tie with teammate Kash Bellar (212), who finished in the same spot as he did in the 2023 MAC Championships. Kahn and Bellar, tied with Miami's Danny Fisher (212) in fourth, both were named to the all-tournament team, finishing seven strokes behind Toledo's Barend Botha (205), who won his second straight title.
Bryce Reed (208) of Kent State and Ian Bruchhauser (209) finished in second and third place, but the leaderboard was dominated by Cardinals. Behind Kahn and Bellar, freshman Alec Cesare (214) finished in eighth place and sophomore Carter Smith was 11th (216). For Cesare who played just minutes from his home in Westfield, his 2-under-par showing on a windy Championship Sunday was the tournament's best round of the day. It was the first top-10 finish of his career.
Ball State nearly became the MAC's first team since Kent State in 2021 to place four individual golfers in the tournament's top 10. The championship was Ball State's fourth MAC title overall, adding 2024 to championships in 1975, 1982 and 1986 under legendary coach Earl Yestingsmeier – Fleck's former coach and mentor.
Fleck, the former Cardinals player who lettered in 1991 and 1992, finished the afternoon named as the MAC's Coach of the Year. He took over as head coach of his alma mater in August 1998 and, over 26 seasons, has garnered now 10 top three finishes and two coach of the year awards. Fleck's clubs have been in MAC contention almost annually, and have now finished first and second in consecutive seasons.
Now, the Cardinals await the NCAA Selection Show on Wednesday, to determine the site at which they will begin NCAA Regional competition for the first time since Fleck's club earned an at-large bid in 2013. Last year, when Ball State was edged in the MAC Championships by Northern Illinois, the Cardinals claimed a fourth-place finish in the inaugural National Golf Invitational, with Bellar winning the individual title.
Ball State Individual Results, Final
No. 3 Ali Khan (212): 37-33—70 | 35-35—70 | 34-38—72 (-4, 4th)
No. 2 Kash Bellar (212): 36-34—70 | 34-35—69 | 38-35—73 (-4, 4th)
No. 5 Alec Cesare (214): 37-36—73 | 36-35—71 | 34-36—70 (-2, 8th)
No. 1 Carter Smith (216): 36-34—70 | 34-36—70 | 37-39—76 (E, 11th)
No. 4 Braxton Kuntz (226): 37-36—73 | 34-39—73 | 39-41—80 (+10, 29th)
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