Garrett VanDeventer awarded Brian Groves Memorial Scholarship

In honor of former Cowley College golfer Brian Groves, Cowley College freshman Garrett VanDeventer was named this year's Brian Groves Memorial Scholarship recipient during the 26^th annual Tiger Skins/Brian Groves Memorial Golf Tournament held Saturday, October 17 at Quail Ridge Golf Course in Winfield.

VanDeventer is a member of the Tiger baseball team and is majoring in pre-engineering. He has a grade point average of 3.61. The local athlete helped pitch Arkansas City to a state title at the state tournament in 2017. The left-hander tossed 11 2/3 innings for the Tigers in 2020 and will be used in a variety of roles in the upcoming season.

Although there were several worthy candidates for the Brian Groves Memorial Scholarship, in the end the school could not go wrong with selecting VanDeventer.

Brian Groves (Class of 1998) was a member of the Tiger golf team before moving on to Southwestern College in Winfield. He was tragically killed in a one-vehicle accident in 2002.

With 14 teams taking part in the Tiger Skins/Brian Groves Memorial Golf Tournament, the event continues to serve as a successful fundraiser for Tiger Booster Club scholarships. Along with the 56 golfers, several area businesses helped sponsor the event. Community National Bank served as the Tournament sponsor. 

"We are very appreciative of Community National Bank and its president Dustin Quint, as well as Rubbermaid, for their support of prizes so that we can continue to run the tournament," Cowley College athletic director Shane Larson said. "Also, special thanks to the Groves' family and all of the other hole and prize sponsors for their continued support"

Tournament sponsors were, Community National Bank, Cowley College Bookstore, Elite Advertising, Galaxie Business Equipment, Great Western Dining, Groves Oil Company, Schaefer Law Office, Midwest Electric, Nathan Niles Family Dentistry, RCB Bank, Rindt-Erdman Funeral Home, Rubbermaid Corporation, and United Agency.

As for the golf tournament, the team of Brock Buckingham, Brent Burroughs, Tanner Armfield, and Trevor Harris finished in first place in Flight A. The second place team in Flight A consisted of Aaron Sanderholm, Mike Sanderholm, Don Colquhoun, and Nick Colquhoun. The first place team in Flight B was made up of Todd Clark, Troy Thrasher, Andy Scheef, and Nick Stoll. While the team of Shane Larson, Aaron Hollins, Tim Hilario, and Zeb Shelton placed second in Flight B.

Course contest winners:

• Closest to the Pin on Hole 5 – Brent Burroughs
• Closest to the Pin on Hole 13 – Linda Hargrove
• Longest made Putt on Hole One – Shane Larson
• Longest made Putt on Hole 10 – Bob Juden
• Putting Contest – Kevin Campbell and Tommy DeSalme