PANAMA CITY, Fla. -- The Indiana Wesleyan University golf team ended the NCCAA National Championships in 11th place at The Hombre Golf Club in Panama Beach, Florida.

The Wildcats finished tied with Central Baptist (Ark.) College with a two round total of 636 (323-313). Indiana Wesleyan was five strokes behind Colorado Christian University for a top-10 finish.

Indiana Wesleyan moved up two spots from 13th to 11th during the second round.

Malone (Ohio) College cruised to the title with a final mark of 592 (290-302) for a 14 shot victory over Dallas Baptist (Texas) University. Malone's Justin Lower was the individual national champion with a two day score of four under par, 140 (69-71), on the 6,831 yard course.

Indiana Wesleyan junior Austin Conroy received NCCAA All-American status as he completed the tournament in 10th place. Conroy shot a 152 (76-76) over the two days.

Junior Joe Madda was the next Wildcat on the leader board. Madda was tied for 39th with a finishing tally of 160 (82-78). Sophomore Adlai Deisler shot a 163 (84-79) for a 50th place finish while sophomore Kyle Martin (87-80) and freshman Grant Slater (81-86) tied for 64th with a 167.

In addition to playing golf, the competing teams at the NCCAA national tournament also helped the local Panama City Rescue Mission. During their time in Florida, the NCCAA teams collected over 200 pounds of food and contributed $250 towards the food pantry.

"This effort is central to the mission of the NCCAA and its member colleges," stated Dan Wood, NCCAA Executive Director. "The association has set a specific goal of collecting over 4,000 pounds of food for the host cities of our 21 National Championships during the 2008-09 championship calendar. With this being one of smallest events relative to the number of competitors, we are thrilled to get off to such a good start," Wood added.

Indiana Wesleyan returns to the links for their final fall tournament on October 24-25 as the Wildcats participate in the NAIA Preview Invitational at Silvis, Illinois.