KOKOMO, Ind. -- Throughout the fall, the men's golf program at Shawnee State has kept stacking days -- and improved as a result.
The progress that Shawnee State has made as a group all came together Sunday evening -- as the Bears rallied from a six-shot deficit on the opening day of the Crimson Classic to win the tournament on the second and final day of the event by shooting a tournament-low two-over 290 as a team over the final 18 holes of competition to claim the event title and win by nine strokes over second-place Georgetown (Ky.) in a fantastic day for the Bears to conclude matters in the two-day event, which was held at Wildcat Creek Golf Course in Kokomo, Ind.
Shawnee State, who ultimately shot a two-day 593 as a team, put together its best round of golf of the fall by placing four players inside the top six positions overall -- with three of those players, including
Trey Cracraft,
Ross Ferrell and
Max Kearns -- all obtaining Crimson Classic All-Tournament Team honors as a result of their performances.
None of Shawnee State's four scoring golfers -- which also included
Logan Hughes -- shot any worse than five-over on the day, and Cracraft, Ferrell and Hughes each shot no worse than one-over.
Cracraft enjoys terrific performance
Cracraft, in particular, enjoyed an incredible round where the junior from Maysville, Ky. lit up the scorecard with circles.
Entering the final round five strokes back of the lead, Cracraft, to borrow the term made famous by John Daly, "gripped it and ripped it" as the veteran talent blistered the front nine holes with a 33 -- posting three birdies and an eagle on the first six holes alone. The 2024-25 All-River States Conference golfer then followed up his sterling performance on the front nine with a 35 on the back to complete a fantastic four-under 68 over his final 18 holes of tournament play.
Ultimately, Cracraft posted an eagle, six birdies and eight pars on the day -- with his double circle coming on the fourth hole, a 381-yard par four. This performance allowed Cracraft to rally from the five-stroke deficit to force a playoff for tournament medalist honors -- and while Cracraft lost the playoff battle to Georgetown's Laine Schulten, his performance proved to be vital in Shawnee State winning the war.
The junior also birdied the following holes:
- Hole 2, 532-yard par four
- Hole 5, 420-yard par four
- Hole 6, 425-yard par four
- Hole 11, 460-yard par five
- Hole 13, 404-yard par four
- Hole 18, 600-yard par five
Ferrell completes weekend to remember with 73 in final round
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Just two days after getting married, Shawnee State senior
Ross Ferrell completed yet another consistent set of rounds that has become a trademark and staple for the Tipp City product.
Enjoying unquestionably the biggest weekend of his life, Ferrell posted 11 pars and birdied three holes in his final round of golf to finish with a one-over 73, ultimately claiming a fourth place finish in the 26-golfer field as a result en route to claiming Crimson Classic All-Tournament Team honors.
Ferrell's three birdies were on the following holes:
- Hole 9, 525-yard par five
- Hole 11, 460-yard par five
- Hole 14, 379-yard par four
Kearns, Hughes add juice to finish off victory for Shawnee State
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Behind Cracraft and Ferrell, Shawnee State junior
Max Kearns and Shawnee State senior
Logan Hughes also had large roles in Shawnee State's victory at the Crimson Classic.
Kearns, who finished with a two-day 150, posted 10 pars as well as birdies on the eighth hole, a 398-yard par four, and the 18th hole, a 600-yard par five, to finish in fifth -- officially putting three Bears on the Crimson Classic All-Tournament Team as a result.
As for Hughes, the senior made the biggest gains of any Shawnee State men's golfer on the final day. Hughes, who lowered his second day score by eight strokes, posted 12 pars and notched all three of his final round birdies on the front nine holes to finish with an even par 72 in the second round, rallying up the individual leaderboard into a tie for sixth place at the finish. Hughes birdied the first hole, a 402-yard par four, the eighth hole, a 398-yard par four, and the ninth hole, a 525-yard par five, in the final round of competition.
ADDITIONAL
Tanner Stevenson (19th) and
Hunter Freeman (25th) rounded out the finishers for Shawnee State in the event.
Shawnee State concluded the fall portion of its schedule with the conclusion of the two-day Crimson Classic. The spring schedule will be released at a later date.
For more information on the Shawnee State men's golf program, visitÂ
https://www.instagram.com/ssumensgolf/.
