After a 38-year conference championship drought, the Cardinals finally finished writing their story.
Maintaining composure and following head coach Mike Fleck’s game plan throughout its three-day event at Chatham Hills in Westfield, Indiana, Ball State men’s golf captured the 2024 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship in convincing fashion.
In a full-team effort led by a pair of experienced juniors, Ali Khan and Kash Bellar, the Cardinals booked their ticket to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2013.
“We have had some incredible teams and awesome players over the last 30 years,” Fleck said. “It’s just awesome to be able to finish this off and get this MAC Championship, not only for us in the program right now, but for everyone that's gone through it over the years.”
A former Ball State golfer turned 26-year head coach of the Cardinals, Fleck has experienced nearly everything throughout his tenure in Muncie, Indiana,—everything except the elusive MAC Championship.
After last year’s squad fell just five strokes short of vaulting Northern Illinois to take home the conference title, it was only right that this year's group redeemed the runner-ups with a five-stroke victory, this time over Miami (OH).
“We all knew what this one meant,” Khan said. “We all felt like we were traveling in the right direction, coming into this tournament and feeding off each other, being close to home and feeling the support all combined to push us over the edge.”
Following their championship victory, Khan and Bellar were both named to the 2024 MAC Men’s Golf Championship All-Tournament Team. Additionally, Fleck was named 2024 MAC Coach of the Year, earning his second award during his time at Ball State.
“It feels amazing,” Khan said. “It’s the one goal that we always have every year: to win the MAC and make it to the NCAA Regionals. Being able to achieve it this year feels amazing, especially with this team.”
Friday - Round One
Heading to Westfield, Ball State began its opening round at Chatham Hills with a number of solid performances from their five-person squad.
Sophomore Carter Smith, playing in Ball State’s top spot, finished his first 18 holes with a score of 70 (2-under-par). Smith's production was matched by Bellar and Khan, playing from the No. 2 and No. 4 spots, respectively.
With three players tying for 6th place individually, the Cardinals concluded the opening round tied for first with Miami (OH).
Saturday - Round Two
Saturday, shooting 7-under-par as a squad in the event’s second round, Ball State leapfrogged Miami (OH) to gain sole possession of first place.
Rising to the top of the team’s leaderboard, Bellar posted his best round of the tournament with a score of 69 (3-under-par).
Following closely behind, Smith and Khan both finished one stroke behind their fellow Cardinal with scores of 70 (2-under-par) apiece.
Sunday - Round Three
In a race to the finish between the competition’s two red-bird teams, the Cardinals battled the RedHawks to be named 2024 MAC Champions.
With solid scores from four of Ball State’s golfers, the Cardinals were eventually able to overcome Miami (OH), earning Fleck his first-ever conference title since he took over the program from Earl Yestingsmeier in 1998.
Ball State’s best finish of the day came from their youngest competitor, freshman Alec Cesare.
“Alec is a competitor, and that's the thing that I love about the kid,” Fleck said. “I love watching him play the game, because he plays with passion and desire. For him to come home and have a great championship here at Chatham is just the icing on the cake for a phenomenal freshman year.”
Cesare concluded the competition with a personal best third-round score of 70 (2-under-par) to earn 8th place on the individual leaderboard.
Despite holding down the Cardinals’ No. 1 lineup position for the majority of the season, Smith was another one of Ball State’s least experienced players. Smith placed 11th on the individual leaderboard, just one stroke out of the top-10 after netting a third-round score of 76 (4-over-par).
Leading the Cardinals throughout the competition, however, Khan and Bellar tied for fourth place on the individual leaderboard after posting third-round scores of 72 (even par) and 73 (1-over-par), respectively.
“Our horses stepped up,” Fleck said. “It was fun to watch them execute and play really good golf. We relied on experience to get us through the finish line.”
Rounding out the lineup, junior Braxton Kuntz finished in 29th individually with a round-three score of 80 (8-over-par). Kuntz, however, was also able to put together two solid rounds before slipping on the event’s final day with scores of 73 (1-over-par) in both of the competition's previous rounds.
“It just goes to show you the depth; we’ve got a really deep and talented team,” Fleck said. “I’ve got five really good players, and it was fun to watch them close the deal today.”
Ball State begins its next chapter May 13, teeing off for the NCAA Regionals at a location yet to be announced.
Contact Nick Shelton with comments via email at nicholas.shelton@bsu.edu or on X @NickS9954.
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