PLYMOUTH, Ind. – Mineral Area College freshman Colin Pini finished 12-over par on May 23 to lead the Cardinals to a ninth-place finish at the 2025 National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Men’s Golf Championship at Swan Lake Golf Resort in Plymouth, Ind.
Pini, of St. Charles, shot a 74- 72-75-79—300, leaving him in a six-way tie for 15th and earning himself All-American honors.
Perryville native Payton Strattman, also a freshman, delivered a standout performance in the fourth round with a team-best 71, the 25th-ranked Cardinals’ only under-par round of the tournament. Strattman shot an 82-79-84- 71—316, finishing 28-over and in a three-way tie for 76th. Earlier last month, Strattman earned All-Region honors and was named to the NJCAA Region 16 All Region first team after shooting 8-over-par at the South Central District Championships at Lake Hefner Golf Course in Oklahoma City on May 8.
The Cardinals were named Region 16 Champions, and coach Mike Mapes was named Region 16 Coach of the Year.
Strattman, a 2024 graduate of St. Vincent High School, was crowned the 2024 Class 1 state champion after shooting a 146 at the state tournament. He was the first St. Vincent golfer to ever finish first overall at the state meet, leading the Indians to a second-place team finish.
As a team at the national tournament, the Cardinals finished with a score of 79-over-par 367, earning 26.82 divisional points, in a tie for ninth alongside Southeast (Neb.) Community College and Meridian (Miss.) Community College.
The Cardinals rallied from a difficult third round that left them 30-over for the day to claim a top-10 finish. Mississippi Gulf Coast, the top-ranked team in the nation, claimed the team title with a 26-over-par 314, earning 75.52 points. Illinois Central was a stroke behind in second, followed by South Mountain (Ariz.) Community College in third, Kirkwood (Iowa) Community College in fourth and Murray State College (Okla.) in fifth.
Individually for MAC, Will Dugal contributed a consistent scorecard, posting a 6-over 78 in the fourth round and ending the championship with a 26-over 314. Aidan Steinmetz shot a 9-over 81 on the final day to finish 25-over-par for the tournament, and Bradley Loos turned in a 4-over 76 in the final round as a substitute.
