Springboro, Ohio – Not even competing against all NCAA Div. I teams could slow down the Wittenberg University Men's Golf team as Div. III's fourth-ranked Tigers took first out of 12 teams the last two days (Apr. 14-15) at the Wright State Invitational, played at the par-70, 6,780-yard Heatherwoode Golf Club in Springboro, Ohio.
Playing against all Div. I teams wasn't the only thing that made the tournament different, as the scoring format also differed from the normal formula of five total players with the top four scores counting toward the team score. In this event, each team had a lineup of six players, with the top five golfers on each team accounting for the final score.
The Tigers not only won the tournament, but they did it in comfortable fashion with a team score of 721 (362-359), which was nine strokes better than second-place IUPUI's team score of 730 (366-364).
Three of Wittenberg's six scoring golfers all finished inside the top-10 in the 78-golfer field, led by the duo of senior Isaac Hartley and junior Cameron Willis finishing as part of a three-way tie for fourth with 36-hole scores of 141. Willis fired an even-par 70 on Sunday before posting a one-over 71 on Monday, while Hartley did the exact opposite by carding a one-over 71 on Sunday and an even-par score of 70 on Monday.
Senior Colin Laszlo also cracked the top-10 in the individua standings for the Tigers, finishing as part of a five-way tie for ninth with a two-day score of 144 after posting back-to-back rounds of 72.
Despite playing as an individual and not part of the team score, sophomore Daniel Castleberry also finished inside the top-20 for the Tigers as part of a six-way tie for 16th with a two-day tally of 146 (74-72).
Rounding out the team scorers for the Tigers was sophomore Christopher Dunne in a tie for 24th with a 148 (72-76), senior Cooper Taylor in a tie for 36th with a 150 (78-78) and finally junior Ryan Mallette in a tie for 42nd with a 151 (77-74).
After taking Easter weekend off, the Tigers will return to the course on the last weekend of April (27-28) for Ohio Wesleyan's Strimer Memorial, played at Oakhaven Golf Club in Delaware, Ohio.