TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Finishing the second day of the Seminole Intercollegiate, the Illinois State men's golf team is in 14th place, shooting 590 against a nationally-ranked playing field. Tyler Gentilella and Jason Marrs are leading the team shooting 146 through two rounds, respectively.
Head coach Ray Kralis knows his team has the potential to compete against the top golfers in the nation.
"Following a strong first round, we had a great test Saturday being paired with two teams ranked inside the top-10 nationally," Kralis said. "Unfortunately, we did not take advantage of the opportunity that was in front of us. We have to get more comfortable being uncomfortable, and we were clearly not, because our performance was not representative of this squad and its potential."
With Gentilella (69-77) and Marrs (71-75) leading the team, Jordan Fahel (71-76) followed up in the ranks just one stroke back at 147. Zach Burry (74-78) shot a 152 and Josh Edison (78-77) carded a 155 through the first two days.
Of the 17 teams competing in the intercollegiate, East Tennessee State is in first place, scoring a team score of 554. South Carolina (556) and Georgia Tech (557) follow two and three strokes behind first, respectively. With the Redbirds in 14th, they end the first day ahead of Cincinnati, Western Kentucky and George Washington.
The Redbirds were in sixth at the end of the first day and had a harder time through the second round. Kralis knows it is tough, but this can help better the team in the long run.
"It is part of the process when working to improve, grow and mature as a team," Kralis said. "We have to deal with Saturday's adversity with the character and mind of a champion. I believe in this group, but even more importantly, each guy has to believe in himself. Hopefully, each player learns something from this experience so we'll be better prepared next time."
The final round begins tomorrow at 7 a.m. (CST) with Illinois State teeing off at 7:50 a.m. (CST) with Cincinnati and Penn State.
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