KETTERING, Ohio – Behind a final-round 285 – the third-lowest score on the day in the tournament field – the Illinois State men's golf team climbed three spots into a tie for third place at the 2026 Dayton Flyer Invitational.
Four Redbirds finished inside of the top 25, including Gabriele Bravin, who tied for third individually with a three-under 68.
Butler won the event with a team score of 850, while Miami (Ohio) had an 858, two strokes ahead of ISU's 860. Ball State tied with ISU with an 860, while Ohio (866), St. Thomas (867), Marshall (870), tournament host Dayton (874), DePaul (880), Wright State (886), Belmont (891), Oakland (896), and Cleveland State (900) were all chasing the Redbirds at the end of the tournament.
Bravin had four birdies and 13 pars over his final round 68. He had a par-five scoring average of 4.11 for the tournament (-8 overall), which was tied for the best in the tournament field. His three-round score of 211 is tied for the 20th-lowest by an ISU junior in program history.
Gonzalo Cuellar tied for 12th, narrowly missing his first career top 10 finish, as his final-round 72 consisted of four birdies and 10 pars. His tournament score of 215 is tied for the 28th-best by a Redbird sophomore in the history of the golf program.
Both Max Faucquez and Fernando Cobo Delgado finished with a 54-hole score of 218, which is tied for 22nd. Faucquez closed his tournament with a final-round 74 behind three birdies and 11 pars, while Cobo Delgado – the reigning MVC Golfer of the Week – finished with a 73 with a birdie and 14 pars.
Sam Ottwell closed out the Redbird five in the field with a weekend-best 72 over the final round, as his three-round 226 had him tie for 61st. He had three birdies and 11 pars over his final 18 holes of the tournament.
The Invitational closed the books on the fall season for the Redbirds, as ISU next takes to the course on February 15 and 16 at the Border Olympics in Laredo, Texas.
