It was a double victory for the Humber Hawks golf teams during the 2007 PING Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) Golf Open Championships hosted by Selkirk College Oct. 9-12 in Castlegar, B.C.

James Castle of the Hawks won the individual gold medal after the final round on Friday, shooting 75 and finishing minus-1. Meanwhile on the women’s side, Shauna Wilde completed the honours shooting 75 and finishing plus-19.

"It was a very, very stressful day," said Castle. "I played good golf the first two days, but it’s a matter of putting it all together the last day when the pressure is on." And the pressure mounted when a mishap on the third hole gave Castle a two-stroke penalty nearly costing him the gold as Camosun Chargers player Phil Kondrak made a charging effort to topple Castle. "I was able to bounce back on the back-nine and get it together," Castle said. "I birdied the last hole to win by one.

On the ladies side, Wilde of the Hawks was happier with her final round as she captured gold. "I hit a lot better than I had all week," Wilde said. "I just kept reminding myself all day long that you’re playing to be the national champion and it was a really special feeling." The 18th hole was the challenge for her all week and the toughest part was approaching the final three holes. "I was just trying to maintain my composure. Basically the nerves and everyone watching and knowing what’s on the line.”

Humber College also claimed the top spot in both the Men’s and Women’s Team Competition. Rounding out the men’s team awards were British Columbia’s Camosun College (silver) and UCFV (bronze). On the women’s side, Holland College from PEI and Red Deer College from Alberta finished with the silver and bronze respectively.

Official Final Standings:

Men’s Individual – Top 5
1. James Castle, Humber College 215 (69, 71, 75)
2. Phil Kondrak, Camosun College (BCCAA) 216 (74, 72, 70)
3. Brad Clapp, Camosun College (BCCAA) 219 (72, 71, 76)
4. Thomas Keddy, Holland College (ACAA) 221 (77, 71, 73)
4. Mike Zizek, Humber College 221 (73, 74, 74)
4. Neithan Allen, Medicine Hat (ACAC) 221 (75, 73, 73)

Women’s Individual – Top 5
1. Shauna Wilde, Humber College 235 (80, 80, 75)
2. Maggie Trainor, Humber College 242 (79, 77, 86)
3. Bev Peel, Humber College 246 (82, 83, 81)
4. Leslie Weaver, Thompson Rivers University (BCCAA) 249 (81, 84, 84)
5. Jaime Steedman, Humber College (OCAA) 255 (84, 85, 86)

The Top 5 Male and Top 4 Female golfers listed above were also awarded the CCAA All-Tournament Awards during the Closing Ceremony.

Men’s Team
Gold – Humber College 879
Silver – Camosun College 900
Bronze – University College of the Fraser Valley 912

Women’s Team
Gold – Humber College 472
Silver – Camosun College 528
Bronze – University College of the Fraser Valley 633

A male and female were also selected as recipients of the PING CCAA Fair Play Award:

Men’s Fair Play Award:
Neithan Allen, Medicine Hat College (ACAC)
Corry Butler, Holland College (ACAA)

Women’s Fair Play Award:
Paulina Johnson, Red Deer College (ACAC)

Participants also competed in the PING Skills Competition.

Putting
Women’s: Maggie Trainor, Humber College (OCAA)
Men’s: Dustin England, Malaspina University College (BCCAA)

Closest to Pin
Women’s: Jessica Norris, Holland College (ACAA)
Men’s: Nick Uhyronowich, Selkirk College (BCCAA)

Long Drive
Women’s: Shauna Wilde, Humber College (OCAA)
Men’s: Geoff Fahlman, Thompson Rivers University (BCCAA)

Kim Verigin, Selkirk College’s athletic director and tournament organizer, felt the week was a success. "There’s no question it helped put Castlegar on the map," Verigin said. "It was an awesome opportunity to have to host the event."

“We had an amazing week," Wilde added. "It was so nice to come out. I’ve never been to British Columbia before. I definitely want to come back now. It’s beautiful. All day on the golf course I was just looking around, like wow, you don’t see anything like this in Toronto - ever."

The CCAA would like to thank Selkirk College and the Castlegar Golf Club for hosting such a great event. Kim Verigin, Tournament Chair and his Host Organizing Committee organized an exceptional and memorable tournament for athletes, coaches and fans alike.

The CCAA and the Host Organizing Committee would like to thank our national sponsors for their support and efforts in making these Championships possible, including PING Canada – Title Sponsor and Sport Canada.

For more information and complete results, please visit the following website:

2007 PING CCAA Golf Open Championships Official website:
www.2007cccaagolf.com

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The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) is the national governing body for college sport in Canada, providing high-level competition through intercollegiate sport that recognizes excellence in academics and athletics.

For more information, please contact:

Stéphanie Legault
CCAA Coordinator of Marketing and Media Relations
Tel: 613.933.6080 ext. 2211 / Email: stephanie@ccaa.ca