May 19, 2007
Results
SUGAR GROVE, Ill. -
After three days of play at the NCAA Central Regional, senior Matt Miller and the Illinois State men's golf team finished in 14th place, ending their 2006-07 season at Rich Harvest Links in Sugar Grove, Ill. The Redbirds finished with a three-round total of 924 (317, 297, 310), and Miller finished his collegiate career tied for 39th with a score of 229 (79, 74, 76).
While the Redbirds were not able to qualify for the NCAA Championships, they did finish ahead of many respected programs, including No. 28 TCU (25th place), No. 33 Southeastern Louisiana (15th), Oklahoma (T-21st), Kansas (24th) and Nebraska (T-21st). Firm greens and swirling winds continued to cause challenges for competitors, as tournament officials were forced to begin to water greens during the afternoon rounds Saturday.
Head coach Ray Kralis was extremely proud of the way the Redbirds combated the elements as well as the golf course throughout the tournament, citing that the `Birds were able to place in the top-15.
"We competed and battled this weekend, from start to finish," said Kralis. "I'm very proud of how the guys played, as we were right in the mix until the end. They represented Illinois State very well, holding their own against some of the top teams in the country. They proved that we can go toe-to-toe with some of the bigger programs. We had a great finish to the spring, and the guys took advantage of the opportunity. As a coach, you can't ask for anything more."
It was only fitting that Miller finish his last collegiate tournament tied with his younger brother and teammate, freshman Drew Miller, who also carded a three-round tally of 229 (74, 76, 79) and tied for 39th. Freshman Tommy Bliefnick fired a total of 233 (81, 74, 78) and ended tied for 58th. Sophomore Ben Murphy finished tied for 82nd with a score of 236 (86, 73, 77), while sophomore Joe Emerich tied for 108th with a total of 242 (83, 80, 79).
"Matt had a great career as a Redbird, and there are a lot of emotions that go with him being done here," said Kralis. "But we have a lot of young guys that really improved throughout the season and will be stronger from this experience. While you can't replace a player like Matt, I'm excited about our prospects next season as our guys continue to grow as a team. I just can't say enough about how proud I am of how our guys played this year and I know next year looks to be another great year."
No. 21 Tulsa won the tournament, finishing with a total of 895 (305, 280, 310). Alabama finished in second (898), while Louisville fired a score of 899 and ended in third. Lamar placed fourth (900), Tennessee finished fifth (904), Oklahoma State (906) ended in sixth and Texas Tech finished with a total of 907 and in seventh. Michigan State fired a score of 915 and finished in eighth, Texas (916) placed ninth and Minnesota (918), who won in a one-hole playoff versus Texas A&M, rounded out the top-10 teams that will advance to the national championships next week.
Lamar's Dawie Van Der Walt and Wisconsin's Dan Woltman tied for medalist honors, shooting scores of one-under-par 215.
The 110th Annual Division I Men's Golf Championships will be held May 30-June 2, at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club (Gold Course) in Williamsburg, Va.
