NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State men's golf team won the D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate, Monday, in its 2014-15 season opener, after the final round was cancelled due to heavy rain in the Bloomington-Normal area. ISU won with a two-round team score of 584 (296-288), while three Redbirds finished in the top-10 and a total of six were in the top-20 on the individual leaderboard.
Head coach Ray Kralis was proud with his team's performance, despite the tournament being cut short.
"While we hoped the weather would allow us to compete and finish things off, it still feels great to pick up a well-deserved win to start the season against a large field with a number of MVC (Missouri Valley Conference) schools," Kralis said. "The team stepped up Sunday afternoon in round two, and that made the difference. Jordan (Fahel) and Kyle (Meihofer) closed in strong fashion to lead the way, and we had solid play from a number of our guys, as we placed three in the top-10 and six in the top-20."
The Redbirds were led by Fahel (75-69) and Meihofer (73-71), who tied for seventh on the individual leaderboard, as both shot a two-round score of 144. Fahel and Meihofer's strong second rounds helped ISU keep the one-stroke lead over second place Central Arkansas. Tyler Gentilella finished with a of 147 (73-74), tying for 19th place. Tyler Pope-Ferguson (77-74) and Zach Burry (75-76) both shot a 151, placing the duo tied for 42nd place.
Competing as individuals, the Redbirds hold the top-three spots, as Jason Marrs shot a 144 (72-72), while Christian Crabill carded a 145 (74-71) and Josh Edison was close behind with a 147 (74-73). Marrs finished the tournament tied for seventh with Fahel and Meihofer. Steven Mullins (78-76) and Turner Reid (78-77) ended the tournament with a 36-hole score of 154 and 155, respectively.
"We will enjoy this one for a short while and keep building as we go forward," Kralis continued. "The competition among the squad will only make us stronger as the season goes on."
ISU topped Central Arkansas by one stroke (585), while Southern Illinois (588), SIU-Edwardsville (589) and DePaul (593) took third, fourth and fifth, respectively. The Redbirds defeated seven Missouri Valley Conference rivals, including SIU, Drake (594), Bradley (594), Loyola (594), Missouri State (595), Northern Iowa (597) and Evansville (603).
After the win, Illinois State will be back in action at the end of the month at the three-day Badger Invitational, Sept. 28-30,
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