Feb. 19, 2010
NORMAL, Ill. -
Senior Joe Emerich will look to defend his title, as the Illinois State men's golf team will travel to Mobile, Ala., to compete at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate. The three-day, three-round tournament will be held at the Magnolia Grove Golf Club, with play beginning with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. Sunday.
Last year, Emerich took home the individual title after the Palatine, Ill., native fired a 1-under-par 215 (74-68-73). Head coach Ray Kralis hopes Emerich and his team, which took third place at the tournament last year, can capture that same magic.
"Joe is the defending champion and it is always special to go back to the field where you have the distinction of being the defending champion," Kralis said. "We had a good outing there as a team last year, so we have good vibes about the place and we're just excited to get going."
Junior Will Cullen will make his spring season debut, as the Redbirds look to rebound after a disappointing finish at last week's Oak Hills Invitational. Other competitors will include seniors Tommy Bliefnick and Kyle Bragg, junior Jeff Kellen and sophomore Eric Meier.
"The expectations haven't changed and we're not going to dwell on last week," Kralis said. "We're going down with what I know to be as a really strong line-up and we look to be competitive. I've seen so many positives from these guys over the years and I have no reason to believe that we're not going to be ready to go mentally. I look for us to be much more competitive down at this tournament."
Participating schools include Akron, Arkansas State, Belmont, Iowa State, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Kentucky, Louisville, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Alabama, South Florida, Southern Mississippi, Toledo and Vanderbilt.
"After a tough outing last week, we're even more hungry and eager to get back at it," Kralis said. "The great thing about this is that we have another opportunity to get back in a competitive arena. I'm really excited about another opportunity to go up against great competition."
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