The sixth-ranked Wittenberg University Men's Golf Team proved that their preseason national ranking was just about spot on as the Tigers finished in a tie for seventh with No. 12 Hampden-Sydney at the 2019-20 NCAA Division III Championships Fall Preview, played over the weekend at the par-72, 6,902-yard Champion Course at PGA National in Florida.
The Tigers were right in the hunt after round one with a team score of 297, but after stumbling in round two with a 318, the Red and White bounced back in the final round with a 295 to finish the 54-hole event with a score of 910 and in a tie with HSC for the seventh position. Preseason No. 2 Emory won the team title at the event with a score of 874 (302-287-285), while defending NCAA Champion and preseason No. 1 Illinois Wesleyan was the runner-up with 881 strokes (296-291-294). Preseason No. 3 Huntingdon finished third overall with 891 (296-306-289), followed by No. 22 St. Thomas (MN) in fourth with 898 (312-296-290) and No. 9 Washington & Lee rounding out the top-5 in fifth with 907 (306-303-298).
Senior Cameron Willis was the lone Tiger to crack the top-10 in the individual standings as he finished 10th out of 90 total golfers with a 3-over par score of 219 (73-77-69). In his final round 69, Willis posted five birdies on his scorecard, which included a run of three-straight on holes 11, 12 and 13.
Freshman Evan DiSanto finished as part of a four-way tie for the 23rd spot in the individual standings after firing a 54-hole score of 227 (72-78-77), while senior Ryan Mallette tied with five other golfers for 38th with a final tally of 230 (76-84-70). Mallette's 70 in the final round is his low 18-hole round score of the young 2019-20 season.
Junior Christopher Dunne tied with three other players for 56th with a 236 (76-79-81), while classmate Daniel Castleberry finished alone in 77th with a three-round score of 247 (84-84-79).
The sixth-ranked Tigers will now take some time off before returning to the course in late-September/early-October for Ohio Wesleyan's annual Gordin Invitational at Columbus Country Club in central Ohio.