Freshman Pochylko, Colonel golfers show improved play at Grover Page Classic

Chase Pochylko turned in three rounds of consistent golf to finish as top competitor for Nicholls in the 17th Annual Grover Page Classic held Monday and Tuesday at the Jackson Country Club in Jackson, Tenn., hosted by Tennessee-Martin.

Pochylko carded a three-round total of 215 to finish in a tie for 19th at -1. The freshman shot an opening-round 71, followed by consecutive rounds of 72 for his 215 total.

At one point, Pochylko was five under par in the middle portion of the second round before ultimately finishing with a 72. It was part of a 36-hole day on Monday.

“It was Top 20 for him as a freshman and that field was really good. With the transfer portal and all these things going on, he’s a true freshman competing against guys like Ryan Fulton at New Orleans is 24 years old,” Nicholls coach James Schilling said of Pochylko.     

As a team, Nicholls shot an 897 total to finish 12th in the 14-team field.

In individual play, Missouri State’s Hampus Wijkstrom shot a 202 total to finish at -14.

Jack Schoenberger of Belmont finished second at -10 and a 206 total. Jonathan Xoinis of host UT-Martin was third at -8. Five golfers tied for fourth at -7.

In individual play for Nicholls, Mickael Najmark finished tied for 60th with a 224 total to tie for 60th. The senior shot a 69 in the second round.

“He started out very poorly. He’d be the first to tell you that. He made a small adjustment while he was playing. He played the last ten holes one under par. That always bodes well,” Schilling said of Najmark.

Diego Prat Cruza finished in a tie for 73rd with a three-round 228 total. Zachary Morvant finished in a tie for 81st with a 231 total. Collin Jones finished No. 92 in a field of 93 with a 245 total.

Dylan Weber, who competed only as an individual for Nicholls, finished in a tie for 73rd with a 228 total.

“Dylan was a guy that had a little medical injury when he first got here. So, a big part of that was seeking can his body hold up for a 36-hole day. We had seen some issues there. He was able to shoot some pretty consistent scores,” Schilling said of Weber.

The Colonels’ 897 total allowed Nicholls to finish ahead of Tennessee State and Eastern Illinois. Tennessee finished with a team total of 899 while Eastern Illinois shot a 950.

Nicholls shot a 939-team total to finish at a +75 a week earlier to place last in a 16-team field at the Argent Financial Classic in Ruston.

“I would say the first tournament was disappointing, but I wasn’t surprised with the field,” Schilling said. “This tournament, portions of the event, we may be a little bit ahead of pace. I didn’t like that last round. We didn’t have enough guys under par. It was just kind of a sloppy start and finish. It just wasn’t very clean at all. Still, though, that wasn’t our highest round. Our highest round was the first round, that’s what got us.”

Fielding such a young squad, the Colonels may be a bit ahead of schedule through two fall tournaments, according to Schilling.

“I would say we are a little bit ahead of where I thought we would be, but we should be. Here’s why: we haven’t lost any practice days. Typically in the fall, you will have rainouts. You could have weather and stuff like that. We haven’t had that. We’ve been blessed with good weather, and we’ve been able to practice,” the Nicholls coach said.

Host UT-Martin won the team event at -23 with a team total of 841.

Missouri State and SIU Edwardsville finished in a tie for second at -15 and an 849 total. Rounding out the top five were Presbyterian College at -11 and an 851 total. Belmont was one shot behind Presbyterian to take fifth place.

Along with Nicholls, two other Southland Conference teams took part in the event.

The University of New Orleans finished in a tie for seventh with a +3, 867 total.

Southeastern Louisiana with a +25, 889 total, finished 11th in the team event.

Up next for Nicholls is the Bubba Barnett Invitational in Jonesboro, Ark., October 2-3, before the Colonels close out the fall schedule by hosting the LaTour Intercollegiate on October 23-24.