The William Woods University men's golf team couldn't quite catch the College of Coastal Georgia, but the Owls still came away with their best-ever finish.
Third-ranked William Woods produced a 2-under par 286 in Friday's fourth and final round of the NAIA national championships to take second place with a 4-over, 1,156 total at the LPGA International Hills Course.
The Owls entered Friday's play 16 strokes behind Coastal Georgia and closed within five shots at one point. The Mariners, though, tallied a 291 and eventually triumphed over William Woods by 11 strokes to clinch their second straight national championship with a 7-under, 1,145 score.
Johnson & Wales (Florida) trailed the Owls by a shot in third place with a 1,157, while South Carolina Beaufort was fourth with a 1,161. Wayland Baptist took fifth place with a 1,164.
William Woods' team outcome was matched by the individual performance of sophomore David Houlding, who shot the lowest score of Friday's round with a 5-under 67. That allowed Houlding to move up three positions to finish second with an 8-under 280.
Houlding birdied four holes on the front nine to come in at 4-under. He offset a bogey by adding a pair of birdies on the back nine, then parred the last five holes to end the day at 5-under.
Houlding's flurry left him eight strokes behind Dalton State's Sean Elliott, who wrapped up the national individual title with a remarkable 16-under, 272 total. Elliott shot a 2-under 70 on Friday.
Sophomore Matt Wells - who carded a 3-over 75 in the final round - also tied for 13th for the Owls with a 2-over 290. Senior Stan Gautier, with a 3-under 69, climbed 27 spots to tie for 23rd with a 4-over 292.
Billy McKenzie, another sophomore, tallied a 75 and shared 60th place with a 12-over 300. Senior Julian Taylor shot a 9-over 81 and tied for 75th with an 18-over 306.
Both Houlding and Wells were named to the NAIA all-tournament team.