Director of Golf and Head Coach of the University of Missouri (UMKC) Kangaroos J.W. VanDenBorn led a successful team this past season. The Roos earned their second-consecutive Western Athletic Conference
Director of Golf and Head Coach of the University of Missouri (UMKC) Kangaroos J.W. VanDenBorn led a successful team this past season. The Roos earned their second-consecutive Western Athletic Conference Championship under the guidance of VanDenBorn, who is celebrating his 12th year at UMKC.
Competing against eight other teams, the Roos took gold with a total score of one over par, competing in three rounds. The Roos narrowly earned their championship victory against Grand Canyon by four strokes. Overall, the men’s golf team earned a team score of 290-278-285-853, edging out Grand Canyon, who had swung a 294-281-282/287.
Paul Foulquie had the lowest stroke score out of all of his teammates, earning a team-best of 212 during the championships.
The Roos also obtained a tournament championship at the Grand Canyon Invitational this past March.
With a WAC Championship under their belts, VanDenBorn’s Roos took to the regional stage at the NCAA Regionals.
At the NCAA Regionals in Austin, Texas, UMKC placed 10th overall out of 14 other teams with a team score of 295-302-293-890, the highest finish in the school’s history.
The Roos have slowly improved over the years at the NCAA Regionals, moving up from a 13th out of 14 teams placement in 2011.
For the past two years, UMKC’s men’s golf team has earned a bid to regionals, including a 2018 run where the Roos placed 11th.
According to UMKC, the Roos had seven top-five placements throughout their 2018-2019 season journey, including four under-par scores throughout 11 events.
After 12 years at UMKC, VanDenBorn was named WAC Coach of the Year for the second-straight season. This will be the third time VanDenBorn has been provided the honor of conference Coach of the Year.
The 2002 UMKC graduate was named the head coach of the men’s golf team in 2003. Four years later, VanDenBorn took on the title of Director of Golf in 2007. VanDenBorn was also named WAC Coach of the Year during the 2015-16 and 2017-18 season.
VanDenBorn’s tutelage didn’t go unnoticed; he also had a player named the WAC Player of the Year. McCain Schellhardt was tapped for the award this year after leading the conference with a stroke average of 71.3 through 30 rounds.
According to UMKC, Schellhardt had his lowest round at the South Dakota State Invitational where he swung a 67.
During the invitational, Schellhardt tied for the 11th lowest in the league. He was named to the All-WAC First Team, while his teammates sophomore Maxence Catherine and senior Francois Lagraulet were named to the All-WAC Second Team.
