Moriyama repeats, leads Highland to first Region 4 championship in 20 years
BYRON, ILL. - Four teams were in contention for the 2022 NJCAA Region 4 Division II Men's Golf Championship, and when all 54 holes were completed, Highland Community College had earned its first region title since 2002. The Cougars finished with a 936 team total, two strokes better than Alexandria Technical & Community College (MN) at 938. Sophomore Riku Moriyama successfully defended his 2021 Region 4 title with a five-shot victory to finish as medalist again.
Defending champion Bryant & Stratton College led the tournament after Round 1 with a tournament-best 305, while the Cougars were right behind at 307. Round two saw Highland Community College surge to the top of the leaderboard with a 308, followed by Alexandria Tech at 307 for team totals of 615 and 617, respectively. The final round saw higher scores for most teams, including HCC, but their 321 pushed their team total to 936. In the end, it was enough to hold off Alexandria Tech (938) and Black Hawk College (939), both of whom were within three shots and will also qualify for the 2023 NJCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships.
A year removed from an impressive showing as a freshman, Moriyama repeated as Region 4 Golfer of the Year with a commanding performance that saw him lead from start to finish. The native of Kobe, Japan, carded rounds of 70-73-76 to post a two-over-par 219. Trey Fullmer of Bryant & Stratton College was second at seven-over 224. Fullmer will lead a group of individual qualifiers that includes his teammate Lenny Oshiro, Jake Trevino and Eddie Winkelman of the College of Lake County, and Clayton Phillips and Owen Sipka of Carl Sandburg College.
The 2023 NJCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships will be held at Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, Indiana, from May 23-26, 2023.
2022 Region 4 (Midwest District) Division II Men's Golf Tournament Final Results
All-Region Honorees
First Team
Riku Moriyama - Highland Community College
Trey Fullmer - Bryant & Stratton College
Jake Trevino - College of Lake County
Luke Lofgren - Black Hawk College
Dan O'Neill - Black Hawk College
Second Team
Clayton Phillips - Carl Sandburg College
Lukas Justesen - Alexandria Technical & Community College
Oskar Akerlind - Highland Community College
Lenny Oshiro - Bryant & Stratton College
Connor Josephson - Alexandria Technical & Community College
Third Team
Gannon Walsh - Alexandria Technical & Community College
Eddie Winkleman - College of Lake County
Evan Earl - Black Hawk College
Sam Spurgetis - Black Hawk College
Owen Sipka - Carl Sandburg College
Region 4 Golfer of the Year
Riku Moriyama - Highland Community College
Region 4 Coach of the Year
Pete Norman - Highland Community College