Marian (Ind.) College won the 54-hole tournament with a team total of 873 to easily outdistance runner-up Heidelberg University (900) and Cedarville University and Ohio Dominican, who both tied for third at 910. The Cougars were 66 strokes off the lead with a three-round total of 939. MVNU stood tied for fifth place after the first 18 holes on Friday with a 304, but the Cougars then shot a 324 in Friday’s second round of 18. The team closed out the tournament with a 311 on Saturday.

“We started off very strong posting a 304 in the first round,” said MVNU coach Mark Stiverson. “Everyone contributed and played pretty well. The second round was a different story with a 324. Playing 36 holes in one day and walking can be draining if you are not used to it not so much on the physical side, but on the mental side. I heard several players say they lost focus coming down the stretch. The third round on the Saturday we came back and posted a very respectable 311. We played three rounds of 18 and if you could take the best two or drop the middle round, we would have done very well. The guys did a great job coming back in the third round.”

Individually, Zack Koinis from Heidelberg earned medalist honors with a four-under-par 212 (68-70-74) to edge Matt Krogstad of Cedarville University and Sean Jones of Marian, who tied for runner-up with a 215 each.

Freshman Preston Robinette (left) led MVNU with a consistent 231 (77-76-78) to finish tied for 30th in his first collegiate tournament. Junior Jay Ruffner (75-84-77=236) and freshman Matt Crouch (75-89-74=238) both had two really good rounds, while junior Cory Palmer (78-81-82=241) and freshman Brad Meinert (77-83-85=245) rounded out the scoring for the Cougars. Sophomore Adam Nichols competed as an at-large individual and posted an 83-80-80=243.

“There were several bright spots in our performance overall,” said Stiverson. “Preston posted the low score for the team. Both he and Jay played well enough to automatically qualify for Malone. Each year, Jay has improved his total game and I can envision great things this year. Matt played very well for two rounds as he posted the low round for the team at the tournament with his 74 over the final 18 holes. Cory played extremely well considering he was a last-minute addition to the tournament team. He has really improved his game since last year. Brad had a solid first round and then played well enough for us to use his score in another round. Adam also played as an individual and did well. I can see him making some moves as the season progresses. All in all, it was a good outing. They have all talked about ways to improve for the next tournament.”

“Coming into the fall qualifier, I did not know what to expect from both the returning and new players,” Stiverson added. “Even after qualifiers, there is still a different level of play required for tournaments. With one seasoned college tournament player returning, one player with limited exposure, and three freshmen, it was difficult to predict but exciting to watch. The talent and potential on this team is, well, amazing. They are exciting to watch and I know they can and will do better as they continue to work and gain experience.”

The Cougars will return to action on Friday and Saturday when the team travels to the Malone University Invitational held at Tannenhauf Golf Course.