St. Ambrose and Quad Cities Sports Commission Bring NAIA Men's Golf Championships to Quad Cities

(Pictured from left to right, Front Row: Ray Shovlain - Athletic Director, Jeff Griebel - Head Men's Golf Coach, Sister Joan Lescinski - President, Joe Taylor - QC Sports Commission), Back Row: Members of the St. Ambrose Men's Golf Team)

St. Ambrose University will host the 58th and 59th National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Golf National Championship Tournaments, May 19-22, 2009, and May 18-21, 2010, in collaboration with the Quad Cities Sports Commission (QCSC) and the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau (QCCVB). This is the third time the championships have been hosted by St. Ambrose, with earlier tournaments in 1962 and 1967 at the Emeis Park Golf Club. This round of championships will take place at TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Ill.

"We are excited and proud to host this event," says Jeff Griebel, St. Ambrose men's golf coach. "I have served as an officer in the NAIA Men's Golf Coaches Association and attended several national championships. This experience, the support of our athletics program, and the wonderful collaboration between St. Ambrose, the Sports Commission and the Convention and Visitors Bureau will result a successful championship event."

"We are thrilled to have St. Ambrose University and the Quad Cities as hosts for the 2009 and 2010 NAIA Men's Golf National Championships," said NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr. "I am confident they will carry on the strong tradition of this event and make it a memorable experience for all student-athletes, coaches and fans involved."

"The Quad Cities is pleased to host such a prestigious event as the NAIA Men's Golf Championships," says Joe Taylor, Chair President/CEO, Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau and chair of the Quad Cities Sports Commission. "The championship is particularly suited to this community, and it's wonderful to work together to bring such an event to the Quad Cities."

The St. Ambrose men's golf team has won the Midwest Collegiate NAIA championship 12 of the past 14 years, the regional tournament 10 of the past 11 years, and qualified for the national championship for the past six years. St. Ambrose had a school record third-place team finish at the 2004 national tournament, fourth in 2006, and is currently ranked 11th in the 2008 NAIA national poll. Twenty former players have been selected for the NAIA Academic All-American Team, with 68 players having received All Conference or All Region recognition since l984. Coach Griebel, who began his 26th season at St. Ambrose this fall, has been named the NAIA Midwest Collegiate Conference Men's Golf Coach of the Year 14 times and Region 7 Coach of the Year 18 times; received the Bob Fry Award from the Iowa Section PGA of America; and was inducted into the St. Ambrose Athletics Hall of Fame. Griebel is a past president of the NAIA Men's Golf Coaches Association and the current chair of NAIA Region 7 and the Midwest Collegiate Conference.

The NAIA is the governing body for athletics programs at nearly 300 colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. The long-held mission of the NAIA is to promote the education and development of well-rounded students and productive citizens through intercollegiate athletics. The association offers equitable access and opportunities for participation in its 23 national championship events held annually throughout the country. NAIA Champions of Character is the associationfs innovative flagship program designed to develop character values in student-athletes, coaches and youth in the communities it serves.

The QCCVB and QCSC serve Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, and Rock Island and Moline, Ill., and the surrounding communities and region. QCSC has hosted a variety of golf championship-caliber events, including the American Junior Golf Association Championships and the Missouri Valley Conference Menfs Golf Championships, as well as other athletics events including the Quad Cities Marathon, Amateur Softball Association 2004 and 2006 National Girl's Championships, and the Mid-Continent Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.

For more information, contact Griebel at 563/333-6305.

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