Men's Golf Atop the NCAC Championships Leaderboard Following Soggy Day 1

The Blue Streaks displayed strong mental toughness in the elements

WARREN, Ohio – On a rainy, cold opening day of the 2026 North Coast Athletic Conference Championships, mental toughness was key.

John Carroll Men's Golf showcased grittiness in spades at Avalon Lakes at Avalon Golf & Country Club on the first day. A cold, consistent rain soaked players and fans alike to the bone, making life miserable. The course remained resilient for the most part in the face of the very rainy weather.

The Blue Streaks stand alone in first place by four strokes following the first day of action with a team tally of 299 (+11).

Results
Day 2 Pairings
Photos

Justy VonLehmden steered the Blue Streaks as the one man. The Saint John's Jesuit grad birdied on No. 7 to fire into the back nine even. A birdie on No. 9 sent him into the final nine on a strong note. The star closed out his first round with an excellent birdie on No. 18, with an outstanding one-under-par score of 71. After the first 18 holes, the junior stood tied atop the leaderboard, quite the feat considering the conditions.

Wade Boyle salvaged some early bogeys with back-to-back birdies on No. 6-7. He repeated the feat on No. 14-15 in impressive fashion. The Pennsylvania native stands in third place with an even 72 following the opening day.

Daniel Donahue and London Hoyser are part of a logjam battle for the top ten. The JCU duo are among a whopping nine players tied after the first round with a score of 78 (+6).

Donahue rebounded from a four-over-par front nine by hitting par on seven straight holes to start the back nine, the longest such stretch by anyone except for VonLehmden.

Hoyser performed well on the front nine with a trio of birdies, including a pair of excellent shots on Par 3 holes on the front nine. The junior hit par on six holes on the back nine, as well as on the final three holes.

Austin Malley did strong work on several Par 5 holes, including a pair of birdies on Par 5 Holes No. 6 and 14. Just one off his two teammates above him, Malley is well within striking distance at 79 (+7).

Next Up
The Blue Streaks will tee off on Saturday at 8 am for Round 2.

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Players Mentioned

Wade Boyle: Junior

Daniel Donahue: Junior

London Hoyser: Junior

Austin Malley: Junior

Justy VonLehmden: Junior

Players Mentioned

Wade Boyle
: Junior

Daniel Donahue
: Junior

London Hoyser
: Junior

Austin Malley
: Junior

Justy VonLehmden
: Junior

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned

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