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NVC men’s golf team wins Big 8 Conference North division tournament

Photo: The Napa Valley College men’s golf team, shown on Monday, March 25, at Yolo Fliers Club in Woodland, from left, Tyler Momono, Nick DeBellis, Brayden Dixon, Matthew Commander, head coach Bob Freschi, Markus Nanpei, Jaxen Perryman and Anthony Guiomar. Courtesy photo
Photo: The Napa Valley College men’s golf team, shown on Monday, March 25, at Yolo Fliers Club in Woodland, from left, Tyler Momono, Nick DeBellis, Brayden Dixon, Matthew Commander, head coach Bob Freschi, Markus Nanpei, Jaxen Perryman and Anthony Guiomar. Courtesy photo
Posted: Mar 27, 2024

 

By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com

Three players posted scores in the 70s for the Napa Valley College men's golf team and the Storm won the Big 8 Conference North division's seventh tournament of the spring season on Monday, March 25, at Yolo Fliers Club in Woodland.

The Storm's Markus Nanpei was the individual low medalist, firing a 4-over-par 76.

Napa Valley won with a 395-team score.

"We won another conference tournament Proud of the guys. They did what they had to do, to continue to move forward and win this conference. And that's our goal," said Napa Valley coach Bob Freschi.

It was the Storm's fifth tournament win of the Big 8 Conference season.

Yolo Fliers is a par-72, 6,500-yard course.

Nick DeBellis fired a 5-over-par 77 and Matthew Commander carded a 6-over-par 78 for Napa Valley.

Also, for the Storm, it was Brayden Dixon and Anthony Guiomar, each with 82s.

Jaxen Perryman had a non-scoring 89.

Due to injury and sickness, NVC did not have its full team available for the tournament.

"Markus played really well. Nick played really well, as did Matthew, so it was good to see," said Freschi. "I'm really proud of Anthony Guiomar. This was his first conference tournament, and to play the golf that he's accustomed to playing is really solid for us," said Freschi. "It was good that Anthony stepped up and had a nice round and to get that experience at Yolo (Fliers), because that's where the NorCals will be held."

Finishing second was Sierra College-Rocklin at 402.

San Joaquin Delta College-Stockton was third at 407.

Modesto Junior College was fourth at 412.

The greens at Yolo Fliers had recently been punched, said Freschi. The greens were slow, he added.

"They were not the Yolo Fliers greens that we were accustomed to. But we adapted," said Freschi. "We have a philosophy on course conditions and they had the right attitude about it. You're going to hit putts that are going to do some crazy stuff. You have just got to accept it and move on. Sometimes, they may go crazy into the hole and sometimes they may not. Just move on to the next hole. Once you get to the green, play good golf and meet our criteria off the tee.

"We've been focusing on our approach shots, and we did a real nice job. It got breezy on the back nine. We talked about that, making sure you know what the wind is doing. We did a real nice job."

NVC plays in the Big 8 Conference's eighth tournament, on April 3 at The Ridge Golf Club in Auburn, at 12 p.m.

* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.