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Peyton Perez, assistant coach; players Aaron Lorenz, Leo Fiscus, Wil Sigwarth, Landon Leatherman and Jaxson Willer; and Shayne Shepherd, head coach
The Black Hawk College Braves golfers are headed to the NJCAA Division II National Championship after winning the Region 4 Tournament for the second year in a row.
Freshman Leo Fiscus finished 2nd at Regionals this spring while sophomore Wil Sigwarth finished 3rd. Sigwarth also won the Arrowhead Conference as an individual in the fall.
And for the second consecutive year – in his third year as head coach – BHC alum Shayne Shepherd was named Coach of the Year for Region 4, an honor determined by his fellow coaches in the region.
“It felt awesome winning Regionals again,” Sigwarth said. “Having the Coach of the Year two straight years helped immensely, and he did a phenomenal job both years.”
However, the beginning of the 2024-25 season did not go as planned for the Braves. The fall season ended with a 2nd place finish at the Arrowhead Conference Championship.
“This added fuel to our team. All of my guys believed they were the best team, and we did not perform when we needed to,” Shepherd said.
During the winter and spring, the Braves practiced in the new indoor facilities on campus.
They put the indoor facilities to good use, averaging almost three strokes better per round in the spring and didn’t finish outside of the Top 3 in seven of their eight tournaments.
“Securing a victory at Regionals was significant for both myself and my team, representing the culmination of a year’s worth of anticipation and effort,” Fiscus said.
“After a challenging season with a lot of setbacks … the comeback felt particularly rewarding,” he said.
“Without the dedication of the team and Shayne I don’t think we would have achieved this,” said assistant coach Peyton Perez, who also is a former BHC player.
“I’m really proud of our boys and how hard they worked to achieve this accolade,” Perez said.
Shepherd credited the dedication of the players and his coaching staff for him once again winning Coach of the Year for Region 4.
The BHC golf staff also includes Wes Llewellyn, a longtime assistant who coached Shepherd and Perez when they golfed at Black Hawk College.
The Braves will compete May 20-23 in the 2025 NJCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championship in Plymouth, IN.
Congratulations to the four Braves players who earned All-Region 4 honors:
First Team
- Leo Fiscus of Davenport, IA
- Wil Sigwarth of Dubuque, IA
Second Team
- Aaron Lorenz of Bryon, IL
Third Team
- Landon Leatherman of Tampa, FL
Jaxson Willer; Wes Llewellyn, assistant coach; Landon Leatherman; Aaron Lorenz; Leo Fiscus; Shayne Shepherd, head coach; Peyton Perez, assistant coach; Wil Sigwarth; and Chris Drake
Competing in Nationals will be:
- Chris Drake
- Leo Fiscus
- Landon Leatherman
- Aaron Lorenz
- Wil Sigwarth
- Jaxson Willer