Men's Golf | 10/28/2014 6:49:00 PM

CONOVER, N.C. – The heart fills with jealousy. The head shakes. The eyes roll. A few minutes around the talented golfers of the Chico State men's team is all it takes to make one wonder what it must feel like, if only for a round, to hit a golf ball with such purity and precision.
 

Now there's this: The Wildcats just went on a wonderful trip to North Carolina, saw the sites, and kicked some rear end, winning the Rock Barn Collegiate Invitational (which served as the Division II Championship Preview) at Rock Barn Golf & Spa. Lee Gearhart led the way with a five-shot victory, shooting a 68 Monday followed by a Tuesday 71 to finish 5-under par and got a congratulatory handshake in the airport from United States Senator John McCain.
 
It was posted for all to see on the players' and Head Coach T.L. Brown's twitter feed. The Wildcats, ranked No. 4 in the nation, are quite the crew to covet.
 
Chico State captured its second title in four fall tournaments by besting a 21-team field that featured six teams ranked among the nation's Top 25. The Wildcats finished 14-over par, four shots ahead of Georgia Southwestern and a dozen clear of 9^th-ranked Central Oklahoma.
 
Gearhart and senior Zachary Sardina set the tone for Chico State with two of the day's best rounds. Gearhart's 1-under par 71 was the second best of the day, while Sardina sailed 19 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 14^th behind his Chico State best 1-over par 73. He shot 77 in Monday's opening round.
 
It marked Sardina's first top-20 finish in four events as a Wildcat.
 
Justin Wiles (74-77) finished tied for 22^nd at 7-over par. Alistair Docherty (77-75) tied for 25^th at 8-over. And freshman Ryan Roodzant (80-75) tied for 41^st at 11-over in the 104-player field.
 
The Wildcats will wrap up the fall portion of their 2014-15 schedule at the Dominican Tri-Match Nov. 3 at The Meadows in Fairfax.

COMPLETE RESULTS