ADAIRSVILLE, Ga. — The Montreat College men's golf team closed out its 2025-26 regular season on Monday and Tuesday with a seventh-place finish out of 14 squads at the 2026 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Direct Qualifier. Playing 54 holes across two days at Barnsley Resort, the Cavaliers' tally of 949 sat seven strokes back of Johnson University and one shot ahead of Columbia College.
 
Reinhardt University, a program ranked No. 5 in the NAIA Men's Golf Coaches' Top 25 Poll, won the league tournament with an 882.
 
Originally planned as a three-day event, a scheduling conflict saw the Cavs play a pair of rounds on Monday. With a 322 in the initial round and a 313 in the afternoon, Montreat's score of 635 placed the team in seventh with only one round remaining.
 
All five Cavaliers shot within four strokes of each other during the first round. Cooper Crump, Matt Cardaropoli, Alex Murphy and Colton Clevenger contributed to the team's tally during the opening 18 holes, while Austin Lineberger replaced Crump in the scoring effort for round two.
 
Cardaropoli led the way for Montreat through Monday's action, notching an 80 and a 78 thanks to 22 pars and two birdies. The newcomer's effort left him tied for 24^th through 36 holes of play. Murphy lingered just one stroke back of his teammate in a tie for 28^th. The Monroe, N.C. native's 14 pars and six birdies resulted in round scores of 82 and 77.
 
Both Clevenger and Crump entered the clubhouse on day one tied for 36^th. The former utilized an 82 and a 79 to reach his 36-hole mark, while the latter shot a 78 and an 83. Clevenger registered 20 pars and a pair of birdies during play on Monday, and Crump accumulated one fewer birdie. Meanwhile, Lineberger's 82 and 79 placed him in a tie for 41^st two-thirds of the way through the tournament. Like Murphy, the sophomore totaled 14 pars and six birdies across two rounds.
 
The Cavs recorded a 314 in round three, bringing their two-day team total to 949. Murphy's even-par 72 and four birdies paced the squad on Tuesday, while Clevenger (78), Lineberger (80) and Crump (84) also added to Montreat's score. Each member of that scoring trio carded a birdie. Cardaropoli delivered two birdies and a score of 86 during his final 18 holes.
 
Murphy's three-round total of 231 resulted in a tie for 18^th out of 61 golfers who played all 54 holes. Clevenger needed eight more strokes during the tournament, tying for 32^nd with a 239. Lineberger's 242 slotted the Crouse, N.C. native into a tie for 38^th, while Cardaropoli's 244 and Crump's 245 resulted in placements of 43^rd and T-44^th, respectively.
 
"Obviously, not the finish we were hoping for this week, but the guys played hard and kept a positive attitude," said Head Coach John Sullivan. "Overall, it's been a great spring, and we have a lot to build on moving forward."
 
For a look at results from the 2026 AAC Direct Qualifier, click here.
 
The AAC Direct Qualifier officially marked the conclusion of the Cavaliers' 2025-26 regular season slate. Montreat's seventh-place finish proved to be program's best at the conference's spring championship since 2022 when the program ended sixth.