Grace College volleyball head coach Andria Harshman follows through on her approach to the ninth green during the Grace College Golf Outing at Stonehenge Monday morning. (Photo by Mike Deak)

WINONA LAKE – Standing along the ninth fairway, Grace College athletic director Chad Briscoe was his usual jovial self. Overseeing the 2014 Grace College Golf Outing, Briscoe and the department staff were nothing but smiles as Grace Nation were on parade on the Stonehenge links.

The outing, serving as the athletic department’s biggest cash cow to supply needed funds for the 15 athletic programs at Grace College, was held on the same course Grace College’s men’s and women’s golf teams call home. Briscoe, along with sports information director Josh Neuhart and athletic secretary Kelly Sharp, greeted golfers as they arrived and enjoyed a day of celebration for the institution.

Crossroads League commissioner J.D. Collins golfed in the Grace Outing, taking time to pose with Grace College athletic director Chad Briscoe. (Photo by Josh Neuhart)

“This is our largest fundraiser of the year, and this is always a fun way for the community to get involved with Grace athletics,” Briscoe said. “We have a lot of people out here having fun golfing, but sharing the excitement for Grace. Even our president, Bill Katip, is playing here. It never hurts to have the support from the president.”

Briscoe reported there were 28 teams and roughly 120 golfers overall at the outing, along with about 30 sponsors and a host of super silent auctions items on hand. Included in the auction were tickets for Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and Indiana Pacers games, seating from Reinholt Furniture, an Indianapolis Colts goodie bag, autographed items by former major league baseball great Bill Buckner, current White Sox pitcher Matt Lindstrom and Pacers center Roy Hibbert.

The outing was split into morning and afternoon flights because of the demand of additional teams. The winning team at 18-under were Matt Dick, Rich Dick, Christian McCray and Bill Musser. Bill Rondeau was closest to the pin on 14, Andria Harshman had the longest drive on 17 and Charles Hollar had the longest putt on hole nine.

The Grace College Golf Outing winners shot a remarkable 18-under for the day. Shown are Stonehenge PGA Professional Trent Barlow, Bill Musser, Rich Dick, Matt Dick, Christian McCray and Grace College athletic director Chad Briscoe. (Photo by Josh Neuhart)

Briscoe noted some of the upcoming special events Grace College will take part in this fall.

Friday, Aug. 15, Grace will host its first-ever night soccer games as the Miller Field pitch currently receives its finishing touches to the new lighting system. The event will have the Grace men’s team host FC Indiana (Lafayette) at 7 p.m. and the Grace women’s program face the Women’s National Team of Haiti at approximately 9 p.m. Grace women’s head coach Michael Voss is an assistant coach with the Haitian team. The soccer will be preceded by a tailgate at 5:30 p.m. and live music from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 4, will be Homecoming at Grace. The day will begin with a Fun Run 5K at 9 a.m. followed by the varsity men’s and women’s cross country teams hosting its own Grace Invitational. Starting gun for the invite is 10:30 a.m. Around 11 a.m., a FunFest is slated at Miller Field, which is a family friendly setting of tailgating, children’s booths and general fellowship. At 2 p.m., the Grace men’s soccer team will host Huntington in Crossroad’s League action.

For more information on Grace College athletics, visit gclancers.com.