IU ready to push into Big Tens

With only one week to go before postseason play beings, the IU men's golf team knows there is a lot of work to be done to complete a successful season. \n"Right now we are in a race for an NCAA berth," said IU coach Mike Mayer. "We need to really find ourselves and come together this weekend."\nWith last weekend's weather washing away a chance for the team to practice for the postseason, the Hoosiers look to make final preparations this weekend at the Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational in East Lansing, Mich. The field is stacked with several teams contending for the Big Ten Championship, and should give the Hoosiers a good feel of where they are heading into postseason play.\n"Right now it is really wide open," Mayer said. "Minnesota, Purdue, Michigan State and Indiana are probably the four teams to look out for. However, in golf, anything can happen."\nThe teams in the Big Ten have had a lot of parity during the past few seasons. Last season, Ohio State came out of nowhere to capture the Big Ten Championship. This season could see the same as no team from the Big Ten has been dominant in tournament play.\n"No team has established themselves as the elite team in the Big Ten," said senior Jeff Overton. "As many as five to six teams have a good chance to win if they play well."\nOverton, a Big Ten and national player of the year candidate, will lead the Hoosiers into the weekend. Overton is coming into this weekend's tournament on the heels of back-to-back second place finishes that easily could have been back-to-back victories. As Overton's play has improved, so has the play of the team as a whole.\n"We need to play with more confidence like we have been lately," Overton said. "We can't be nervous when we play. We need to go out there to have some fun and try to beat everyone we play."\nFreshman Santiago Quirarte has greatly improved his play this spring. The talented recruit from Mexico finished in the top 11 in his last three tournaments and has adjusted to the college game at the right time for the Hoosiers.\n"I've finally settled down," Quirarte said. "I've found confidence in my swing and have had better mental play on the golf course."\nRounding out the top five for the Hoosiers this weekend will be senior Heath Peters, junior Scott Seibert and walk-on sophomore Arron Harrell who will compete in only his third intercollegiate tournament for the Hoosiers.\nAs the regular season comes to an end for the Hoosiers, Mayer knows that it will only be a beginning for how far the Hoosiers can advance in the postseason.\n"We've come close all year," Mayer said. "We are putting the pieces together and finding ourselves at the right time."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Chris Engel at ccengel@indiana.edu.