Disc golfers experience varying degrees of success in opening rounds at CDC nationals
4/6/2023 10:56:37 PM | Disc Golf
Liberty University’s disc golf team finds itself in the thick of an extremely competitive tournament field after two days of the College Disc Golf (CDG) National Championships, which conclude on Saturday at the North Cove Social Club in Marion, N.C.
Liberty Director of Athletic Shepherds P.J. Preston sent the team out with a short devotional and a prayer after they boarded the bus on Monday morning before the Flames and Lady Flames began play among a field of 756 disc golfers from around the nation on Wednesday morning.
The Flames have three Division I men’s players in the top 17 after the first round of singles, paced by junior Triston Lambert, who is in a four-way tie for third place after his 9-under-par 51-stroke performance. Senior Clayton Lewis is in a six-way tie for 11th at 6-under-par 54 and graduate Spencer Ellingson in a 12-way tie for 17th at 5-under 55.
In the Division I men’s team competition, the Flames, led by Lambert, Lewis, Ellingson, and freshman Jonah Burdick, are in a 17-way tie for 29th place out of 64 teams at 9-under 51 following the first round of doubles play.
Liberty’s DII quartet of graduate Andrew Sherwood, senior Tim Schmidt, sophomore Grayson Lifto, and freshman Evan Riley are in a four-way tie for 15th place out of 51 teams after two of four rounds of doubles play at 2-under 61.
Sophomore Tyler Staub paces the Flames’ DIII men’s singles players at 4-over 99 after the first and final rounds, landing him in 26th place out of 163 players.
In doubles play, Liberty’s DIII C (8-under 44) and E (7-under 45) teams are tied for first with Penn State and in third place, respectively, out of 42 four-man teams after two rounds.  Senior Sam Vilcek, sophomores Christian Wilson and Kade McInerney, and freshman Jonathan Bennett are on the C team. Staub, senior Noah Bailey, sophomore Paul Caracappa, and freshman Ryan Morgan comprise the E team. The Flames are the defending CDC national champions.
Senior Julia DiMartino is in a four-way tie for 10th place out of 59 players in the women’s singles draw with her 8-over 63 round of singles while sophomore Maggie Presley in a five-way tie for 20th at 11-over 66.
In women’s doubles play, DiMartino and Presley are tied with BYU’s top tandem for third place at 3-under.
Follow the results on the CDG nationals website.