The Gilmour Academy boys varsity golf team concluded their season as State Runners-Up, placing second at the OHSAA State Tournament this past weekend at The Ohio State University Golf Club.
It marks the program's best finish in the event since 2017, when GA also took runner-up honors.
A pair of Lancers earned All-State accolades by virtue of their finishes in the individual standings. Jack Popovich '22 garnered All-Ohio First Team honors while Alex Swinarski '22 notched Second Team honors. It was the second consecutive season in which Swinarski was tabbed as an All-Ohio honoree.
The two-day, 36-hole state tournament was contested at Ohio State's Scarlet Course, a 6,567-yard, par-71 layout.
Gilmour shot a team score of 312 (+28) on the opening day of the tournament and sat just two shots off the lead.
Swinarski led the way on the opening day by shooting a 75 (+4). He played a blistering final eight holes, shooting -1 in that stretch, as he birdied both the par-4 14th and the par-4 16th.
Nathan Flaherty '22 finished with a 78 (+7) in the opening round, tallying birdies on the par-4 11th and par-3 13th. He was the only player to birdie the 11th hole in the entire tournament.
Popovich opened the event with a 79 (+8), which included birdies on the par-4 first and par-3 fifth.
Eric Anton '22 and Harry Rogers '22 both shot 80 (+9), ensuring that all five Lancers finished at 80 or better on Friday.
Anton birdied the par-4 seventh while Rogers was one of just four players in the entire field that avoided a double bogey (or worse) over the opening 18 holes.
The Scarlet Course played much tougher with cooler temperatures present on Saturday, as the average for the field was nearly eight shots higher than in Friday's opening round.
Gilmour was not immune to the tougher conditions as the Lancers shot a 320 (+36) during the final round. That gave the Lancers a two-day total of 632, which was eight shots behind the eventual champion. It was truly a two-team race for the top spot as Gilmour finished 26 shots ahead of the third-place team.
Popovich led the Lancers in the final round by shooting 75 (+4). He posted four birdies in the round, including three on the opening nine. Popovich finished in fifth place individually with a two-day total of 154.
Swinarski used nine pars and nine bogeys on Saturday to finish with an 80 (+9). His tournament total of 155 put him a tie for sixth place.
Rogers had nine pars and shot an 82, Anton posted an 83 and Flaherty added an 85 on the final day of the tournament.
Rogers (162), Anton (163) and Flaherty (163) all finished inside the Top 20 in the tournament.
Both Popovich and Rogers posted their best finish at the state tournament in their third year of competing at the event.
This was Gilmour's third consecutive and 26th all-time appearance at the OHSAA State Tournament.
The Lancers won three tournaments during the regular season and also claimed OHSAA Sectional and District Championship titles during the 2021 season.
Gilmour's success this season was made all the more special due to the fact that each of the five Lancers that competed at the State Tournament have been friends and classmates at GA since kindergarten.
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