ONALASKA, Wis. -- The Bellevue University men's golf team saw Viterbo shave two strokes of their lead in the final round of the 2016-17 North Star Athletic Association Tournament Championship but the Bruins held on to claim the title.
Diego Gudino won the individual title despite his worst score (77, +5) of the tournament in the final round to finish with a four-round total of 299. He narrowly edged teammate Fernando Arzate who placed second after recording a one-over 73 on the day and a score of 300 in the tournament.
The conference championship is the sixth-straight for the Bruins and includes four seasons in the MCAC. Bellevue's team score of 1,210 was good enough to finish 23 strokes ahead of second place Viterbo (1,233). Jamestown finished in third place (1,234), followed by Valley City (1,281), Waldorf (1,311), and Dickinson State (1,398).
Nicolas Handal joined Gudino and Arzate as top-five finishers as he placed in a tie for fifth place with a fourth round even-par 72 to finish at 306, seven shots off the pace.
Bellevue's fourth scorer on the day, Juan Gomez, shot a 78 to finish in eighth place (310). Andre Becerra carded an 80 today to finish the event with a two-day total of 157.
For capturing the tournament's individual title, Gudino was named the NSAA Men's Golfer of the Year. Gudino also earned NSAA Golfer of the Week honors for his outstanding performance. Rob Brown earned NSAA Coach of the Year honors for the second-straight season after guiding Bellevue to back-to-back NSAA Championships.
By virtue of winning the NSAA Tournament Championship, the Bruins qualify for the NAIA National Championships to be played in Silvis, Ill. from May 16-19.
