Conqs return to national championships

   With relatively little fanfare and home tournaments coming few and far between, Casey Malek's Dodge City Community College men's golf team has been one of the best-kept sports secrets in the Cowboy Capital for nearly two decades.
    And for the 19th consecutive year, the Conqs have qualified for the NJCAA National Championship tournament, which begins Tuesday at the Robert Trent Jones Trail River Course in Huntsville, Ala.
    "It's a testament to the type of kids we're able to get," Malek said of the program's extended run of success. "We have an administration that says golf is important, and we're able to get good golfers from all over the world to come play here."
    One of those international talents has been key to the Conqs' climb up the NJCAA national rankings throughout the spring season.
    While Norwegian product Anders Engell has finished no worse than fourth individually in the Conqs' last three tournaments (including his NJCAA Region VI individual title), the Conqs have been on the rise as well. They moved from a No. 14 national ranking at the end of the fall season to a No. 9 ranking heading into the national championships.
    "I've been consistently staying out of trouble," Engell said. "When you have all of the basics working for you, it all comes down to putting if you want to shoot low."
    After his stellar freshman season in the juco ranks, Engell has verbally agreed to play golf next season at Wichita State University. But four other Conqs will have to put up low numbers with Engell in order for Dodge to realize its goals at the national championship tourney.
    Sophomores Zac and Tyler Henderson (no relation) and freshmen Truls Hilde and Riley Seitz will round out the Dodge City fivesome in Alabama. Four of those five played the Trail River Course in October in the NJCAA National Championship Preview Tournament.
    "The biggest thing for us is that there won't be that sense of shock when we're there," Malek said. "And they set the golf course up in October the same way it'll be played at the national tournament. The biggest difference will be that the area has received a lot of rain recently."
    That could put the brakes on some of the quickest greens the Conqs have seen this year, and with fairways that several members of the team said were more than accessible off the tee, the championship could turn into a shootout rather quickly. But whatever the course conditions, the Conqs have treated their preparation for the championship the same as they have all season.
    "I'm just going to go out there and play golf," Hilde said. "I'm not going to focus on anything but my next shot — just play with what I've got and see what happens."
    Seitz agreed and is holding on to the notion that par is a good score in the championship, like it has been all spring.
    "I think you just want to relax and let the birdies come to you," Seitz said. "If you're making par, you're doing something right."