STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. - The Wittenberg Tigers got their latest opportunity to compete against some of the nation's best teams, and once again the Tigers showed they stack up well with a fifth-place finish in the Emory Invitational.
The Tigers, ranked sixth in the latest Golfstat statistical rankings for NCAA Division III, carded rounds of 301 and 290 on the par-70, 6,510-yard course at Smoke Rise Country Club. That put Wittenberg 19 strokes off the pace set by eighth-ranked Huntingdon, which blistered the course for a two-under-par score of 278 in the second round to finish with a total of 572.
Fifth-ranked Oglethorpe was second at 578, followed by ninth-ranked Rhodes at 584, 15th-ranked Emory at 585 and Wittenberg. The Tigers entered the second round in a deceiving eighth place, which was just seven strokes off the three-way tie for the lead.
Junior Garrett Brickley (Pickerington, Ohio/North) turned in his best collegiate performance to date to lead the Tigers. He carded rounds of 76 and four-under-par 66 to finish fourth with a total score of 142. His second-round score tied the school record set by Bleu George in 2009 and equaled by Alex Andrews in 2013, both at Granville Golf Club.
Brickley's two-round score was seven strokes off the school record set by Craig Osterbrock in 2010.
Freshman Isaac Hartley (Bellevue, Ohio/Bellevue) also posted his best score as a collegian after shooting rounds of 71 and 73 to finish seventh with a total of 144. Junior Sam Stilwell (Sterling, Va./Dominion) was next for the Tigers in 38th place with a total score of 152.
Rounding things out for Wittenberg were junior Mark David Wright (Westerville, Ohio/Tree of Life) in 41st with a score of 153 and senior Sam Geise (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) in 54th with a score of 156.
Written By: Ryan Maurer