The Northern Kentucky University Men’s and Women’s Golf Teams have enjoyed similar success as the season nears the end.

Coach Daryl Landrum, in his 10th year with the Norse, seventh with the Lady Norse, has his men’s team poised to make another run at a Great Lakes Regional Championship for the third straight year. Last year’s team went on to place 12th nationally in the NCAA Division II Championships, while Landrum went on to win the NCAA II men’s Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year.

This year the men are off to a strong start through the first half of the season. The Norse started off strong by finishing in a tie for second place at the GolfExchangeKY.com Collegiate Cup tournament earlier in March. The team then went on to finish fourth out of nine, and fourth out of 22 in their next two tournaments.

As the men continue to place atop the leader boards in tournament play, their consistency could be attributed to all around great team efforts. Statistically, not one golfer in particular is leading the Norse. NKU has been led by three golfers, Jonathan Ehlen, Michael Kessling and David Shearer, respectively, have each paced the Norse.

While the men started out the season hot, the women struggled in its first tournament outing, but have since rebounded. After finishing 12th out of 13 to open the season, the women came back strong and posted a sixth place finish at the NKU Spring Fling. The Norse took another step to improve as they went on to finish second place in their next outing.

Unlike the men’s team, the women have seemed to have a consistent leader pace them in tournament play. Senior Bianca Hutton has led the team with the lowest score in its last two tournaments, and has established herself as this team’s leader. Hutton posted an 11th place finish at the Spring Fling, then went on to shoot an overall fourth best, 158 to help the Norse finish second in the Bellarmine Invitational at the tough Persimmon Ridge Golf Club.

With the season winding down, the teams now look to prepare themselves for the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships. The men will travel to Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Ind. for GLVC action April 8-10. The women will tee off April 9 at the Timbergate Golf Course in Edinburgh, Ind. NCAA Regional tournament play will then begin April 20 for the men’s team, and April 30 for the women.