Simon Fraser University golfer Mike Belle of Burnaby shot a final round 69 at the NCAA Division II championship, tying him with two other golfers for the second-lowest round of the entire championship.
SFU lopped six strokes off their team score in each round of the competition, shooting 312 as a team in round one, 306 in round two and 300 in the third round. The Clan finished with a combined score of 918.
Belle was a big part of SFU's third-round improvement as the senior's two-under 69 on the final day left him with the best score on the Clan team with a three-round total of 224.
It was the final tournament of Belle’s Clan career, capping a season in which he was named Great Northwest Athletic Conference player of the year.
Bret Thompson, who led the Clan through the first two rounds, shot a 77 on Wednesday in Round 3, finishing with a 54-hole total of 229.
Kevin Vigna tied Thompson in the third round with a 77. The 2014 GNAC conference champion shot rounds of 80 and 75 in his first 36 holes, giving him a tournament score of 232 in his first appearance at the NCAA championship.
One stroke behind Vigna was John Mlikotic, who finished with a tournament total of 233, shooting a 77 in round three after rounds of 81 and 75.
Craig Titterington shot an 80 in the third round after matching first and second round 81 scores.
Four members of the team, who qualified the Clan for this year's championship, will be back in next year as Vigna, Mlikotic, Thompson and Titterington all have eligibility remaining.
The Clan finished their first appearance at the NCAA championship in 17th place, just one shot back of two teams tied for 15th and six strokes ahead of Delta State who finished 18th.
The third round ended the Clan's historic 2013-14 season, that saw the program advance to the NCAA championship for the first time in the program's second year of NCAA eligibility.
