Final Results | PhotosMcKINNEY, Texas – For the second consecutive year, Sam Houston State has claimed the Southland Conference title after closing out the 2019 Southland Conference Championship shooting an 889 on the Dye Course at Stonebridge Ranch Country Club in McKinney, Texas. The Bearkats also claimed the individual title as Noah Steele concluded the tournament three under par for a 213, beating the second-place finisher by three strokes.After finishing the opening round tied for second place, SHSU employed a consistent game plan during day two that resulted in a 293 and a 291 in the second and third rounds, respectively. Steele vaulted the Bearkats to the top of the standings with a 68 in round two. Sam Houston State rallied once more over the final 18 holes and combined for a 291, the team’s best round of the tournament. Of the team’s tournament-leading 50 birdies, 17 came in the final round. Luis Carrera knocked down six birdies by himself over the final 18 holes, cementing the Bearkats’ second-straight title bid.Lamar pushed Sam Houston State to the brink with a team score of 290 in the third round. Kevin Lee and Sam Dumez led the Cardinals and tied for fifth place overall, each notching a 222 for the tournament. LU remained poised across all three rounds, tying Southeastern Louisiana for pars made throughout the tournament (152). The late LU surge was highlighted by the team’s tournament-best 4.20 par-four scoring average. The Cardinals earned runner-up honors after shooting 896, 32 strokes above par.Stephen F. Austin employed the largest comeback bid of the championship after improving four spots in the standings following a seventh-place opening day conclusion. The Lumberjacks were led by Jake Hendrix who finished third in the individual standings with a 220 (+4). Angelo Leyvani concluded play tied for 15th overall, while Johannes Gudmundsson registered an impressive final round of 69 (-3) to tie for 18th in the individual standings. SFA shot one under in the final round to snag a third-place finish with a score of 909 (+45).Southeastern Louisiana finished in fourth place, shooting 911 for the tournament. The Lions were led by Joris Etlin and Logan Kuehn who each tied for eighth-place after carding 224. Etlin led the tournament with a pair of eagles that came in the final two rounds.Abilene Christian shot 912 across three rounds to finish in fifth place, while McNeese claimed sixth-place honors with a 916. Incarnate Word registered a 924 for seventh place and Houston Baptist finished in eighth place with 929.Nicholls took ninth place (947), New Orleans finished in 10th place (949) and Central Arkansas was 11th in the final team standings (959).Sam Houston State will now head to the NCAA Division I Regional Championship at a site yet to be determined. The regional tournament is set to take place May 13-15.