‘Unheard of’: Hastings College’s Escalera wins three straight individual golf titles

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) - Gabriel Escalera is putting the college golf world on notice, right from Hastings, Nebraska.

“It’s unheard of,” Hastings College men’s golf coach Skyler Good said. “I’ve never heard of somebody winning back-to-back, let alone three times in a row.”

But for the Broncos junior, it’s all in a day’s work on the links.

“The mindset is that I’m the best one there,” Escalera said. “And how do I prove that?”

The results speak for themselves. Escalera has won an individual title in every tournament the Broncos have played this fall.

“Winning three tournaments in a row, that’s a very rare thing to happen,” he said. “My game is really good right now and I’m just going to keep practicing.”

“For him to come out on top for three straight tournaments is incredible,” Good added. “And it’s great for the program, it’s great for Gabe. We’ve always known that he has it in him. It was just a matter of time before sparks flew.”

Escalera is escalting, shooting high and scoring low.

“Really exceeded my expectations these last three tournaments,” Escalera said.

And there’s certainly been some dramatic finishes. Escalera won the Blue River Classic on a 15-foot playoff putt and tied his own school record for lowest-scoring round of 66 on the final day of the Siouxland Invitational.

“Having a guy like Gabe is absolutely game-changer,” Good said. “We’ve known since his freshman year that he’s been something special.”

And there’s no signs he’s slowing down.

“Just keep it rolling, obviously keep it going, compete and win,” Escalera said.

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