Redbirds Move Up Two Spots on Final Day Of Seminole Intercollegiate

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The schedule changed due to inclement weather expected and Illinois State took advantage of all 36 holes played Saturday, as the Redbirds advanced two spots on the final leaderboard at the Seminole Intercollegiate hosted by Florida State at SouthWood Golf Club.

No. 3 Auburn rallied on the second day of competition to win the team title with a three-round score of 850.  The hosts and No. 4 ranked Seminoles finished two spots behind with a 12-under-par 852 and James Madison rounded out the top three with a 10-under-par total of 854.  The Redbirds finished the tournament in 11th place overall with a 23-over-par 887 (298-292-297) ahead of Mercer, Penn and West Virginia.

"Steady winds made it challenging today, and I was pleased with the mental toughness the guys showed," ISU head coach Ray Kralis said. "In the morning round, we did a much better job of keeping big numbers off the card which kept our team score closer to par. In the afternoon round, the guys showed some fight and got a few back, after a rough start over the first four holes."
 
Trent Wallace fought back after a tough first round on Friday with a 1-under-par 71 in the morning round and an even-par 72 in the afternoon final round.  He tied for 47th place along with teammate Christian Crabill, who followed up a 76 from Friday with a pair of even-par 72 rounds on Saturday to finish with a final total of 220.  Zach Burry, who posted a low score of 71 for the Redbirds on Friday, posted rounds of 73 and 75, respectively, on Saturday to finish in a tie for 41st place with a three-round total of 219.

"Zach and Trent again made big contributions in both rounds, and Christian gave us a huge boost with two great scores from steady play all day," Kralis continued. "We can certainly take positives from a very challenging run of tournaments to start the spring and continue building from here as we gear up for the closing stretch leading into the MVC Championship." 

The Redbirds will have two weekends off, before returning to action April 2-3 in Bloomington, Indiana, at the Hoosier Invitational.  ISU will then compete at the Oral Roberts Shootout in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on April 11-12 before competing in the MVC Championship April 25-26 in Hutchinson, Kansas.

GoRedbirds.com:  Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.