COLUMBUS, Ohio – Closing the second of three days at the NCAA Columbus Regional just two strokes out of a spot advancing to the 2026 NCAA National Championship, the Illinois State Redbirds are in seventh place overall with 18 holes to play in the event.
Second-ranked Florida has a commanding lead on the field with a seven-under par 561, while Memphis is second with a 577, with #14 Stanford and #11 Arizona State standing third and fourth with team scores of 581 and 583, respectively.
Nationally ranked Long Beach State (23rd) and Florida State (25th) are in fifth and sixth place with team scores of 588 and 589, respectively, as Illinois State is chasing a shot behind with a 590. Oregon (594), #48 Cal (596), USF (598), #38 South Carolina (599), Wright State (601) and #35 Utah (603) round out the 13 schools in the tournament field.
After the final round tomorrow, the top five teams in this and each of the five other NCAA Regional fields will earn a spot at the NCAA National Championship, hosted at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California.
For the second consecutive day, Pietro Pontiggia had ISU's best score, finishing with a two-over 73 on the par-71 course. He had a birdie and 14 pars on his round, and his two-round score of 145 has him tied for 12th individually. Pontiggia's par-four scoring total – even par – is tied for the third-best such scoring in the field.
TJ Barger closed strong, using birdies on two of his last four holes and finished with a two-over 73. His two-round 146 has him tied for 15th in the tournament.
Using four birdies and eight pars, Max Faucquez finished with a four-over 75, and his two-round score of 148 is tied for 27th. Francis Bautista was the team's fourth scorer on the day, as he had his second consecutive five-over 76 score, as he had three birdies and nine pars on his round. Hs stroke average on the par three holes – 3.00 – is tied for the lowest in the tournament field with 18 holes to play, and he is tied for 50th. Sam Ottwell had a birdie and nine pars for a 79 over the second round and is tied for 60th.
The Redbirds will tee off on the 10th hole tomorrow morning at 7:25 a.m. CT, alongside Oregon and Cal.
