WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Illinois State Redbirds became just the third team in the 16-year history of Purdue Boilermaker Invitational to win the team title in its inaugural appearance in the tournament, as the final round of the Invitational was canceled due to weather, giving ISU its second team title this season.
"This was a big win for our program, and I am so happy for and proud of our guys," said Redbird head coach Ray Kralis. We did a better job this week of keeping bogies off of te scorecard, and we played like champions coming down the stretch in the second round. We stress the importance of closing rounds, especially in the second round of a 36-hole day, because of how much reshuffling that can happen. I couldn't have scripted a better finish than they delivered yesterday. The guys rose to the occasion, made a bunch of birdies, and earned this win."
The Redbirds had rounds of 283 (-5) and 277 (-11) on the opening day, with three student-athletes - Trent Wallace, David Perkins, and David Rauer - each tied for third in the field with two-round scores of 138 (-6.).
Among the schools that Illinois State beat in the field include tournament host Purdue, fifth-ranked Oklahoma, 49th ranked Northwestern, Michigan, Southern Illinois, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, and Indiana.
Illinois State joins Purdue (2004) and Missouri (2005) - the first two seasons of the tournament - as the only schools to win the title in its first appearance at the tournament. Additionally, Illinois State's second-round score of 277 (-11) is tied for the fifth-lowest single-round score in tournament history.
The Redbirds return to action next weekend, when the squad travels to Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, to compete in the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Championships.
