By KERRY PATRICK, Parkersburg News & Sentinel

ROANOKE, W.Va. - Satisfaction canceled out the disappointment the Ohio Valley University men's golf team felt during Wednesday's final round of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship. The Fighting Scots concluded the fall portion of their regular season by placing runner-up to tournament champion Fairmont State.

Fairmont State went wire-to-wire and led all three days while compiling a team score of 934- 12 strokes better than OVU. The Falcons earned the automatic bid into the NCAA East/Northeast Super Regional, while the Fighting Scots are practically assured of receiving an at-large selection after winning four tournaments and finishing second in two others during the fall.

"We're still ranked No. 1 in the region, so there's no doubt we will make the super regional," OVU coach Larry Lyons said. "We're disappointed by today's outcome, but this is the greatest fall we've ever had. We've never won four tournaments in the fall."

At Stonewall Resort's Palmer Course, OVU's Paul Raines missed by one stroke of earning all-conference honors. Raines shot rounds of 75, 78 and 83 for a 236 total and tied Glenville State College's Bryson Karp (80-79-77-236) for sixth place. Fairmont State's Matt Gissy took medalist honors with a 72-778-72-222. A total of three Falcon golfers finished among the top five.

"Fairmont State's finish was a surprise because they have kind of not been in the picture to this point," Lyons said. "Usually it was us, Charleston and Concord. We're now 3-1 against Fairmont State - that one loss is the big one."

Also competing for the Fighting Scots were Sean Burke (81-78-78-237), Gavin Stirling (81-79-79-239), J.R. Jones (81-84-80-245) and J.C. Beecroft (91-78-78-247). Representing Glenville State were Tom Meeks (85-84-76-245), Chad Turner (88-94-87-269), Trae Sprague (97-86-88-271), and Joe Evans (90-97-97-284). With a team score of 1,014, the Pioneers placed 12th out of 15 schools. The super regionals will be held next spring at The Resort at Glade Springs in Daniels, W.Va.

"We're very excited they will be held at Glade Springs," Lyons said. "It's kind of like Stonewall in that it's a difficult venue. Normally what happens is that the better teams rise to the top."