Disc Golf Team Posts Impressive Performance at Nationals

The Liberty University club sports disc golf team finished its year April 7-10 with the College Disc Golf National Championship.

“In the four days, I think I walked 32 miles,” Coach Steve Bowman said. 

Forty-two schools came together to compete at the North Cove Disc Golf Club in Marion, North Carolina, with a total of 72 men’s teams and eight women’s teams making the competition a fierce one. Liberty brought nine teams of doubles and singles from DI through DIII in the men’s division. Hannah Miller traveled as the only Lady Flame, contending in the singles competition and coming away placing sixth out of 15. 

Liberty entered the championship with confidence, knowing the effort that they put in during practice would show. Bowman credits his team’s hard work and Lynchburg’s surrounding influence with preparing his team for success. 

“We do a lot of course work with Liberty having two amazing courses on campus. The team is very active on those,” Bowman said. “There is also a lot of local influence – the club in town, plus the courses in town – they are a big part. We’re out there playing with the local pros and that (helps us) get better.”  

Storms cropped up toward the end of the competition, however, forcing the athletes to finish the tournament in the rain. 

“The rain came in the last day, and that just changes everything,” Bowman said. “Your hand grip, the way the disc flies, the wind was really high, so we just tried to play steady. Everyone had to compete through the same conditions.” 

Even with the weather challenges, Liberty’s team came away with a strong finish to the competition. 

In the singles competition, sophomore Stephen Curry placed ninth and earned first team all-American status. Similarly, senior Isaac Frazier and junior Spencer Ellingson earned their place in the second team all-American rankings. This came after an 11th-place finish for the B team pair, tying with two other teams. 

In Division II, James DeFriese secured a third-place finish and teammate Matthew Alexander finished tied for fifth. In Division III, Liberty placed third overall. 

Even through 35 mph winds and the added challenges of COVID-19 restrictions, Bowman praised his team for their strong performance.  

“(The conditions) changed a lot, but (the players) were mentally ready and stayed in their place. They did not give up places at the end,” Bowman said. “We talk about (the gameplay) at night, at dinners, where they are at, how many strokes here or there, what holes we missed because we are going to see them again the next day. So, we just make sure to clean up a couple of those things and get better.”

The College Disc Golf National Championship ended the competitive semester for the disc golf team.

Emmanuel Adamson is a Social Media Manager. follow him on Twitter at @Eadamson12.