REEDSBURG — Junior Cade Rohrbach and senior Ethan Suits have led the front-running Platteville Hillmen and the rest of the Southwest Wisconsin Conference all season long.
Last Wednesday’s conference meet was no exception.
Rohrbach shot a 3-over-par 75 at the Reedsburg Country Club to claim medalist honors at the conference meet for the second straight year and win the Southwest Wisconsin Conference Player of the Year award.
Suits finished one stroke back with a 76 to finish second both at last week’s Southwest Wisconsin Conference Championships and in the final individual SWC standings to join Rohrbach on the All-SWC first-team.
The Platteville duo’s leadership led the Hillmen to a completion of a perfect conference season, as the Hillmen shot a combined 324 to win Wednesday’s SWC Championships by a whopping 46 strokes over runner-up River Valley (370).
Platteville also claimed the season-long conference championship with a max of 48 points. The Hillmen won all six regular season SWC meets.
Junior Andy Eggers carded an 86 to finish tied for fifth, while junior Isaiah Altfillisch and shot an 87 and senior Zach White finished with an 89 for the conference champion Hillmen.
“As with any season, we were a little slow getting out of the gates, which was especially true this season because of the delayed start,” said Platteville head coach John Sponsler. “Being the odds-on favorite to win conference has its inherent pressures. I wanted to players to have confidence and not get complacent. What is nice about golf is that you are challenged by a fellow competitor but the ultimate foe is Mr. Par.
“We showed our experience this year by grinding out scores whether they were hitting the ball well or not. Coach Temperly and I are extremely proud of their efforts on and off the course and love the fact that another conference championship was earned by the Hillmen.”
Rohrbach, who earned first-team All-SWC honors a year ago as a sophomore when he finished third in 2017 individual SWC standings, rose to the top of the list this year, finishing with 230 points in seven meets. Suits finished second with 224.5 points, eight points better than Prairie du Chien’s Sam Peterson.
“By the numbers, Cade was the front-runner to be Player of the Year,” said Sponsler. “He had to battle this year because his best scores didn’t show up at conference mini meets. In the end, his competitiveness, ability and gamesmanship showed up to clinch the title. Making par on the final hole of the conference meet to secure the victory by one shot showed he doesn’t shy away from the spotlight, but rather embraces it and rises to the occasion.”
“No one is more deserving to be in the Player of the Year conversation than Ethan Suits,” added Sponsler. “Over the course of four years, he has transformed his game to compete against anyone in the conference. He showed that hard work pays off and earns accolades. What overshadows his golf game is his humble nature and integrity. He is a great golfer but a better person.”
Eggers and White tied for fifth with 193.5 points to join Rohrbach and Suits on the All-SWC first teams. Altfillisch finished seventh at 178.5 to earn second-team All-SWC honors giving Platteville five of the top seven golfers in the conference.
“Coach Temperly and I recognize how special this is and have been enjoying the ride,” said Sponsler. “As a coach, I always want recognition to follow hard work and these guys have put in the time.
Platteville traveled to Prairie du Chien on Tuesday’s for the WIAA Division 2 Prairie du Chien Regional. The top four teams, and top four players not on a qualifying team will advance to Tuesday’s WIAA Division 2 Plattevill Sectional.
SWC Championships
(from Wednesday, May 16 @ Reedsburg Country Club, Par 72)
Team scores — 1.Platteville 324, 2.River Valley 370, 3.Lancaster 373, 4.Prairie du Chien 382, 5.Dodgeville 391, 6.Richland Center 411.
Top individuals — 1.Cade Rohrbach (Pla) 75, 2.Ethan Suits (Pla) 76, 3.Dillon Marshall (Lan) 79, 4.Sam Peterson (PdC) 85, 5(tie).Andy Eggers (Pla) 86, 5(tie).Cole Price (RV) 86.
Platteville (324) — Cade Rohrbach 75, Ethan Suits 76, Andy Eggers 86, Isaiah Altfillisch 87, Zach White 89.
Final Conference Standings — 1.Platteville 48, 2.River Valley 37, 3.Lancaster 30, 4.Prairie du Chien 25, 5.Dodgeville 15, 6.Richland Center 13.
Final Individual SWC Standings
First-team All-SWC — 1.Cade Rohrbach (Pla) 230, 2.Ethan Suits (Pla) 224.5, 3.Sam Peterson (PdC) 216.5, 4.Dillon Marshall (Lan) 206.5, 5(tie).Andy Eggers (Pla) 193.5, 5(tie).Zach White (Pla) 193.5.
Second-Team All-SWC — 7.Isaiah Altfillisch (Pla) 178.5, 8.Cole Price (RV) 174.5, 9.Isaac Farrey (Lan) 170.5, 10.Isaac Lange (RV) 146.5.
