Source: Bernd Franke, Welland Tribune

When it comes to mixing studies with sports, Niagara College continues to fit Evan Littlefield to a tee.

While the region's community college is far, far from home, the student athlete from Thunder Bay opted for the professional golf management program at Niagara's main campus in Welland rather than attend Confederation College in his hometown after spending his first year of post-secondary eligibility playing golf at the University of Mexico.

"This course wasn't available back home. I also knew people who have gone to Niagara, and they had nothing but good things to say about the program," said Littlefield, who is in his final year of a three-year program that prepares graduates to work on the business side of the golf industry, including teaching lessons.

Littlefield, his four teammates on Niagara's men's team – Josiah Dixon, Logan Lammerant, Mark Wikkerink and Zack Bankuti – and Lorelle Weavers, the reigning Canadian Colleigate Athletic Association women's champion, have some work to do on the business end of a club before putting away their golf bags for another collegiate season. Beginning Tuesday the six will represent the college, as well as Ontario, at the national championships at the Chilliwack Golf Club in Abbottsford, B.C.

Niagara qualified to compete in the three-day tournament being hosted by the University of the Fraser Valley after topping the leaderboard in three of the four flights contested at the provincial championships last month at Hunters Pointe in Welland. Only the Knights women's team, which placed fourth at the three-round event, failed to win an Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) medal and a ticket to the nationals in western Canada.

Niagara's near sweep did not go unnoticed when the OCAA handed out its weekly awards. Littlefield and Weavers were named athletes of the week and the men team of the week.

"This is the first time in the college's history that Niagara has swept three awards in the same week," intercollegiate co-ordinator Ray Sarkis said.

Like Littlefield, Weavers also began her post-secondary golf career. The Burlington native spent two years at Chicago State University and is in her second year in Niagara's professional golf management program.

In 10 career tournaments as a member of the Knights, Weavers, the Niagara Sport Commission's female athlete of the year for 2014, has carded eight victories and finished second twice. Last season, she won three individual tournament championships and was selected a CCAA All-Canadian.

Niagara claimed its first OCAA gold medal since 1975 with a one-stroke victory over Humber, the nine-time defending provincial champions. With the win, the Knights rose to second in the national rankings, highest-ever for the Welland school.

Niagara's third individual honour at the Ontario championships was won by Dixon who shared the bronze medal with Humber's Christian McCullough.

Head coach Cameron Thin and assistant coach Brandon McGregor will accompany Weavers and the men's golf team to the nationals in British Columbia.

Thin, the assistant pro at St. Catharines Golf and Country Club, said he is most impressed how the Niagara student athletes came together as a team in the most individual of sports.

"The highlight for me was just the way the golfers played for one and another. They played their hearts out over three days," he said after the provincial finals on the team's home course.

"This for me is team golf."

bernd.franke@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @TribSportsDesk 

Source: CCAA Communications

After more than a year of preparation and planning, the 2015 PING CCAA National Championships are set to take over Chilliwack Golf Club.

Next week, Oct. 13-16, the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association tournament will be hosted by the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades for the first time. The event brings together 14 men's teams, 11 women's teams and 103 golfers in total. It will be a true national championship, with competitors literally from coast to coast – from Vancouver Island (Victoria's Camosun Chargers) to Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown's Holland Hurricanes).

Both of 2014's CCAA team champions – the Holland Hurricanes (men) and the Cégep Champlain St. Lawrence Lions (women) – will be returning to nationals to defend their titles. The Hurricanes are looking to go back-to-back after winning the first national crown in program history last season, while the Lions have a record four women's championships to their credit and are chasing a fifth. Lorelle Weavers of the Niagara College Knights, last year's individual women's champ, is also back in the field and aiming to defend her crown

On Wednesday, the tournament officially tees off, with the first round beginning at 8:30 a.m. Thursday's second round and Friday's third (and final) round also start at 8:30 a.m.

Golf Canada and the Vancouver Golf Tour will be providing live scoring, which will be available through the Championship website.

A complete list of participating teams for the 2015 PING CCAA Golf National Championships is as follows:

MEN - TEAMS
Camosun College (PACWEST)
Cégep André-Laurendeau (RSEQ)
Cégep Champlain St. Lawrence (RSEQ)
Douglas College (PACWEST)
Durham College (OCAA)
Georgian College (OCAA)
Holland College (ACAA)
Humbrer College (OCAA)
MacEwan University (ACAC)
Niagara College (OCAA)
Red Deer College (ACAC)
University of Alberta - Augustana (ACAC)
University of the Fraser Valley (PACWEST)
UBC-Okanagan (PACWEST)