Livingstone College maintained their position atop the leaderboard to claim the 2022 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Golf Championship at Chicora Golf Club in Dunn, NC. The Blue Bears finished the two-round championship tournament with a team score of 582 (+14) to capture their first title since 2018.
Livingstone finished 19 strokes ahead of second place Virginia Union, who finished a score of 601 (+33). Fayetteville State finished third with a team score of 609 (+41).
Joel Basalaine of Livingstone College finished atop the individual leaderboard at 141 (-1) to claim the low medalist award. Basalaine shot a 71 (E) in round two and needed a playoff hole to overtake teammate Xavier Proctor, who came into the day as the individual leader. Virginia Union’s Alkin Barkley of Virginia Union finished in third place with a 143 (+1) while Fayetteville State’s Shaun Wixson claimed fourth place at 145 (+3) after shooting a round low 70 (-1) on day two. Virginia Union’s Hayden Garcia and Fayetteville State’s Zack Martin both finished tied at 148 (+6) to round out the top five finishers.
Basalaine, Proctor, Barkley, Wixson, Garcia, and Martin were named to the All-Tournament team for their efforts.
Following the championship event, the 2022 All-CIAA Golf team, which featured the top five players from both the CIAA Northern and Southern Division based on average scores during regular season CIAA events, was also recognized. Those selections included Hayden Garcia (Virginia Union), Zaccheus Spann (Virginia Union), Travon Willis (Virginia Union), Joseph Graham (Virginia Union), and Juan Ruiz Patino (Virginia State) from Northern Division along with Xavier Proctor (Livingstone), Ronald Otile (Livingstone), Emmanuel Jakisa (Livingstone), Joel Basalaine (Livingstone), and Brandon Jones (Fayetteville State) from the Southern Division.
Proctor of Livingstone College was also named 2022 CIAA Player of the Year while Graham of Virginia Union was also named 2022 CIAA Rookie of the Year.
Livingstone College Head Coach Andre Springs was named 2022 CIAA Coach of the Year after leading the Blue Bears to four first place finishes in CIAA Southern Division matches during the regular season.
The superlatives were voted on by the CIAA Golf Coaches Association and Sports Information Directors Association.
Livingstone receives an automatic berth to represent the conference at the NCAA Golf Atlantic Regional, which takes place May 5-7 at Ravenwood Golf Club in Victor, New York. Top regional finishers will head to the 2022 NCAA Division II Golf Championship on May 16-20 at TPC Michigan in Dearborn, Michigan.
Results of the 2022 CIAA Men's Golf Championship can be found on the 2022 CIAA Golf Championship page. For more information about the CIAA, visit www.theciaa.com and follow the conference on Facebook (The CIAA), Twitter (@CIAAForLife), and Instagram (@CIAASports).
2022 CIAA Golf Championship All-Tournament Team
Joel Basalaine, Livingstone – Low Medalist
Xavier Proctor, Livingstone
Alkin Barkley, Virginia Union
Shaun Wixson, Fayetteville State
Hayden Garcia, Virginia Union (tied)
Zack Martin, Fayetteville State (tied)
2022 All-CIAA Golf Team
Northern
Name School Average
Hayden Garcia Virginia Union 73.2
Zaccheus Spann Virginia Union 74.5
Travon Willis Virginia Union 76.3
Joseph Graham Virginia Union 76.9
Juan Ruiz Patino Virginia State 77.5
Southern
Name School Average
Xavier Proctor Livingstone 72.5
Ronald Otile Livingstone 72.9
Emmanuel Jasika Livingstone 73.4
Joel Basakaine Livingstone 74.6
Brandon Jones Fayetteville State 75.0
2022 CIAA Golf Player of the Year – Xavier Proctor, Livingstone
2022 CIAA Golf Rookie of the Year – Joseph Graham, Virginia Union
2022 CIAA Coach of the Year – Andre Springs, Livingstone
Original source can be found here.