
Patrick & Henry Golf Claims District Runner-Up Finish; McCrickard Named Region 10 D2 Player of the Year
BRISTOL, TN — The Patrick & Henry Community College (P&HCC) golf team capped off a strong postseason showing at the District and Region Championships held at Bristol Golf Club, finishing as the District Runner-Up and placing 9th overall in the Region, which was won by Walters State.
In a competitive 54-hole event, P&HCC posted a team score of 937, narrowly falling to Southwest Virginia Community College's winning score of 916 in the district standings.
Sophomore standout Patrick McCrickard led the charge with an impressive scorecard of 73-70-76, earning him Region 10 Division II Player of the Year honors and a spot on the All-District Team. With his performance, McCrickard also qualified for the NJCAA Division II National Championship in Plymouth, Indiana.
Fellow team member Jalen Hagwood also delivered a strong tournament performance, shooting 75-76-71 to earn All-District Team recognition.
Additional contributions came from Tommy Powell (87-83-85), Dylan Johnston (93-85-84), and Tyler Carr (95-99-91), rounding out a determined team effort.
Second-year head coach Jim Arnold expressed pride in the team's progress and effort throughout the season.
"I could not be more proud of the effort and growth of these five guys as individual players and as a team," said Arnold. "Our goal was to get closer to SWVa, our main regional competitor. In the fall through early spring, they were beating us by 20–30 shots per round, and at Region, they beat us by 21 for the entire 54 holes. They definitely knew we were there and pushing them."
Arnold praised Hagwood for his performance under pressure.
"Jalen put his best collegiate tournament together, as well as shooting his lowest collegiate round (71) in the final round to finish All-District and close to qualifying for nationals," he said. "Ferrum is getting a player with a massive amount of upside."
McCrickard's breakthrough at Regionals came after a challenging spring season.
"Patrick showed his resilience, as he would tell you that his spring's not been to his expectations until District/Region," Arnold said. "For him to come out after struggling, finish 6th overall, qualify for Nationals, be on the All-District Team and win Region Player of the Year is a testament to how tough he is mentally. Unbelievable attribute in a player."
Arnold also acknowledged the rapid growth of his less experienced players.
"Tommy nor Dylan had ever played a competitive golf round prior to teeing it up in a college tournament," he said. "To see the work and massive scoring improvements says a lot for those guys and their effort and talent."
"Tyler, as well, had very limited tournament experience prior to this season, and he put in the time and his scores improved because of that."
He compared their leap into collegiate golf to jumping into the deep end with little preparation.
"These three young men showed incredible guts," Arnold said. "It would be like getting your learner's permit to drive one day and then handed the keys to a semi truck and told to drive through Charlotte at rush hour the next day. All three impressed me a great deal."
Arnold concluded by emphasizing the character and camaraderie of the group.
"These are five fantastic young men that I truly am honored to have been around and gotten to know this season."
McCrickard will represent P&HCC at the NJCAA National Championship in May, where he will compete against the top collegiate golfers from across the country.