College Update: Brandt, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps golf claim NCAA Division III Championship

The following are updates on local athletes at the collegiate level.

Johnny Brandt (St. Francis High, 2014) Claremont-Mudd-Scripps golf sophomore: Brandt was part of school and NCAA history on Thursday, as the Stags claimed the program’s first-ever NCAA Division III National Championship.

Leading wire to wire thanks to a championship record team score of 286 on May 10, Claremont took an 11-stroke lead after the first round and held on for a four-round-1198 (50-over par) to defeat Huntingdon College by six strokes on a rainy day in Penfield, NY at the Midvale Country Club. The tournament was split across the Midvale and Mendon clubs.

Claremont’s Alex Wrenn led the way for his team, tying for second with a four-round, eight-over-par-295 that sent him to a playoff for first before he had to settle for his second-place tie.

Brandt rounded out his team’s championship scoring five. He opened the tournament with a nine-over-par 80 that put him in 85th place, but was able to climb up the leader board, thanks in large part to back-to-back scores of 75 on the second and third rounds. In all, Brandt ended up venturing up the leaderboard 30 spots from his first round to his last, tying for 55th with a four-day, 25-over-312.

Back on April 26 in Beaumont, CMS won its 11th Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title by 13 strokes with a team total of 867 to second-place Redlands’ 880. Brandt was his team’s No. 6 golfer, tying for 29th with a three-day-235 tally for a 19-over-par total thanks to a phenomenal third round in which he carded a 70.

Brandt’s best performance might well have come in March at the 14-team West Cup Invitational in La Verne in which he was his team’s No. 2 golfer, taking 15th overall with a three-day 229 thanks to a team-high eight birdies, which was the third most across the field.

On the 11-golfer roster for the Stags, only two are seniors.

Brandon Van Horn (St. Francis High, 2011) The Master’s College baseball senior: The former Golden Knight scored what proved to be the game-winning run on Thursday in Santa Barbara as the Mustangs defeated William Carey (Miss.), 5-4, to win the NAIA National Championship Opening Round-Santa Barbara Bracket and move on to the NAIA World Series.

Van Horn had a pair of hits and a pair of runs, scoring in a four-run first inning and then again in the fifth inning to give TMC a 5-3 lead that held as William Carey scored a run in the bottom of the eighth.

The victory delivered TMC (41-17) to the World Series for the third time in program history and the first since 2013. The 10-team, double-elimination tournament begins Wednesday at 9 a.m. in Lewiston, Idaho with a schedule still to be announced.

Hitting in the second spot and playing shortstop, Van Horn lifted the Mustangs into the Santa Barbara championship game with his home run to left field with one out in the bottom of the sixth to beat Westmont, 1-0, on Wednesday. It was one of just three hits for TMC.

Van Horn went yard in The Master’s Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament-winning game on May 12 as well, driving in three runs in a 10-7 win over Biola.

Van Horn is hitting .285, having started 38 games for the Mustangs with 41 hits, including 10 home runs and eight doubles for a .576 slugging percentage. He’s also scored 34 runs and driven in 29. His 17 walks have helped with a .361 on-base percentage.

Jonah Jarrard (Glendale Community College, 2015) The Master’s College baseball sophomore: Jarrard is another local who’s played a key role in the Mustangs’ ascent to NAIA World Series contender.

Jarrard had a huge day in The Master’s 7-1 victory against Madonna (Mich.) to open the NAIA National Championship Opening Round-Santa Barbara Bracket, which the Mustangs won with three straight wins. Starting at designated hitter, Jarrard hit a home run and went two for three with three runs batted in and two runs. He had another big game in The Master’s 10-7 win over Biola to win the GSAC Tournament on May 12. Jarrard was two for four with a walk, a run and an RBI.

On the season, Jarrard, who’s split time as a DH and catcher, is hitting .327 with 47 starts in 52 games. He has 10 doubles and five home runs with 23 runs and 30 RBI.

The NAIA World Series starts on Wednesday in Lewiston, Idaho.

Justin Cana (Glendale Community College, 2014) Cal Lutheran baseball senior: After a semester at Glendale, Cana transferred to CalLu and quickly became a fixture in the Kingsmen lineup, batting .342 as a sophomore that earned American Baseball Coaches Assn. second-team honors before garnering third-team accolades with a .343 average as a junior.

Though his numbers weren’t quite as proficient, Cana had another solid season to wrap up his days at CalLu. He hit .307 (46 for 150) with 22 runs, 19 runs batted in, 12 doubles and three triples.

Cana had plenty of big games, but on March 5 in a 15-3 win over Caltech, he scored four runs on three hits, coming up a home run short of the cycle, and added a run batted in and a walk. On May 1 in a 6-5 victory over La Verne, he had a season-high four hits.

The Kingsmen’s season came to its conclusion on Thursday with an 8-6 loss to Pacific Lutheran in the NCAA Division III West Regional. Cana was 0 for four. Cana was one for four in CalLu’s 4-3 defeat to Texas-Tyler in the Kingsmen’s regional opener the day prior.

Cal Lutheran (31-12) won its fourth straight Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season title before going on to claim the conference postseason tournament, as well, earning advancement to the NCAA tournament.

Katie Benson (Crescenta Valley High, 2013) Cal State University Bakersfield water polo junior: Benson had another formidable season for the Roadrunners, especially considering they compete in the arduous Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, which features 2016 NCAA champion USC, UCLA and Stanford, among others.

Benson, a standout at Crescenta Valley who helped the Falcons to the program’s first and only CIF championship in 2013, had a team-high 16 field blocks for Bakersfield (13-21, 0-6 in MPSF). She added 15 goals, six assists and 40 steals, which were second on the team.