Maple Ridge college golf standout Connor O’Dell brought home some impressive hardware from the PING CCAA Golf National Championships last week.
It started at the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) awards banquet last Tuesday evening in Quebec City, which was held on the eve of the championships.
University of the Fraser Valley golf team members O’Dell, Jen Woods and coach Chris Bertram were honoured by the national body.
Woods and O’Dell were named All-Canadians, while Bertram won the CCAA coach of the year award.
O’Dell, a third-year athlete, finished second in the PacWest’s individual men’s standings and won the Kwantlen tournament.
He also led the Cascades men’s team to its third straight conference title – they ended up 13 strokes ahead of the Camosun Chargers.
“Connor has not only been UFV’s highest-ranked golfer, he’s also been a terrific veteran leader,” Bertram said.
After the first two rounds, the UFV golf teams had dreams of making a comeback on the final day of the PING CCAA Golf National Championships, but Mother Nature had other plans.
The third and final round of the tournament was cancelled due to inclement weather at Club de Golf Lorette in Quebec City, meaning that the standings after last Thursday’s second round would stand as the official results.
That put both Cascades teams on the podium, with the women winning silver and the men taking bronze.
It’s the second straight year that both UFV golf squads have medalled at nationals – in 2013, they swept the gold medals.
“It’s really disappointing not to have the opportunity to go out and play, given how close we were to winning,” Bertram said.
His teams were both favoured to win gold medals.
“We’ve all been in a bit of shock,” said Bertram.