A Sea Of Red

The 2019 National Collegiate Disc Golf Champinships started on WEdnesday. They're playing different courses this year - everyone is at the International Disc Golf Center in Appling, GA (home of the Disc Golf Hall of Fame, and some really killer courses). Team Doubles were played on Wednesday for all divisions; on Thursday everyone except the Second Flight played singles. Today is TWO rounds of team doubles.

LU is in third place in the Champions Flight team competition at +16 after two rounds, 8 behind NC State and 9 behind Ferris State. The First Flight team is in second place at -8 after 2 rounds, only one shot behind first place Ferris State. Second Flight is tied for first place with ... Ferris State at -8 after 2 rounds (with another team in 4th at +13). The Liberty women's team is in second place at +36 after 2 rounds, 7 shots behind leader Southern Arkansas. We've got another women's team in 6th place (+71) and another one in 8th at +110.

In Champion Flight individual competition, Hunter Thomas is in 12th place at +2, Ryan Shumate is in 17th at +3, Trevor Staub is at +7 in 44th place, and Pete Curran is in 61st at +9, all after one round. The top 28 plus ties will advance to the championship Final Nine on Saturday.

Individual First Flight: Evan Bamford is in 4th at -3, Jeremy Miekley is in 10th at even par, and Christian Wilborn and Zachary Biscardi are tied for 25th at +3.

Women's Individual: Hannah Trotz is in a tie for 3rd at +12, Grace Adkins is in 8th at +23, Shannon Hons is in 11th at +26, Olivia Hayes is at +31 in 14th, Hannah Frey is in 16th at +35, and Mackenzie Patrick is in 18th at +49. The top 8 will advance to the Final Nine championship round on Saturday.

If you're interested in information about the courses (including pictures and videos)

• Jim Warner Memorial
  "Steady" Ed Hedrick Memorial
  WR Jackson Memorial

Info about the schedule and how scoring works is at The NCDGC web site.

And the national championship once again goes to Liberty's First Flight team. Championship team finishes second to Ferris State

Ferris State seems to be building a disc golf dynasty. First in Championship Flight (3 ahead of NC STate and 18 ahead of Liberty at the end of 5 rounds of competition). Fourth in Women's (not sure they even had a women's team last year). National Champions in Second Flight (by 6 over Liberty's A team), and second to Liberty in First Flight (by only 2 shots).

The real positive for Liberty here is that everyone seems to have shot rounds well above their player rating (like shooting below your handicap in golf). The whole team stepped up for this competition, and it looks like Liberty is building a great disc golf program. I thought this would be the year that Champion Flight won a national championship, but they played solid golf.

The women's final round WILL be posted on YouTube pretty soon - when it is, I'll put it here as well. The courses at the IDGC are pretty tight and brutally long in places.

If you want to see the actual scores, check the PDGA's page here.

NC State vs. Ferris State in Round 4 of 5. This will give you an idea of the courses - this one is the "Steady Ed" course. NC State was leading at this point by one.

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Championship Saturday for the women -- final round.
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First Flight's win guaranteed everyone a return trip eight?

I THINK that's how it works. I know they've at least guaranteed themselves a trip back next year, and the other teams placed highly enough that they are guaranteed.

Of course, the Flames have done well enough at qualifiers that they wouldn't have to worry about it if they didn't get the auto bid at nationals.

LU has been chosen to participate in the Dean's Cup tournament this year at the US Disc Golf Championship on campus at WInthrop, on the infamous Winthrop Gold layout they use for the USDGC. Winthrop Gold is the disc golf equivalent of Bethpage Black - it's a brutal layout with a lot of out of bounds and some of the toughest greens I've ever seen.

Liberty will be competing with Ferris State , NC State, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Clemson, Portland State, University of Cincinnati, and Oregon State.