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Sept. 29, 2009
After falling behind during a windswept opening round Monday, the IUP golf team rebounded to shoot a score of 307 for the second 18 holes and finish in 10th place overall at the NCAA Division II Preview tournament. The 36-hole event was played at the Sagamore Club in suburban Indianapolis, the site of the Division II championship tournament in May. The 18-team field was made up of schools that qualified for the NCAA tournament last spring, including IUP, as well as teams that hope to advance this year and wanted an opportunity to play the course. In addition to IUP, teams traveled from as far away as California (defending national champion Sonoma State) as well as Colorado (Cameron) and Florida (Rollins). After the opening day of 36 holes was reduced to 18 as a result of winds that gusted up to 50 miles per hour, most of the teams produced much better scores Tuesday, with IUP's total the fifth-best showing and a 25-stroke improvement from the first round. The Crimson Hawks finished one shot behind Wisconsin-Parkside for ninth place and were just nine shy of sixth place Rollins. Central Missouri won the tournament with a score of 610, a comfortable 12-shot margin over runner-up Bellarmine. Gavin Smith, the defending Division II individual champion, carded a second round score of one-under par 71 to tie Bellarmine's Doug Wilkinson for the best 18-hole score of the tournament. Smith finished in a tie for 19th overall with a score of 157, one behind teammate Brad Boyle, who tied for 13th. Leo Acklin tied for 49th (163), Nic Milito finished 52nd (164) and Ryan Kennedy tied for 76th (171). Riley Piles of Washburn was the medalist with a four-over par score of 148. IUP will play at tournaments at California this Sunday and Monday and Mercyhurst the following week before attempting to win its third straight PSAC championship October 17-18 in Hershey. |
