Weather troubles IU in last round

After bolting to the top of the leaderboard at the end of the third round, the Hoosiers, with help from the inclement playing conditions, slipped down to a sixth-place finish in the Big Ten Championship. \nTwo days before the tournament began, Northwestern coach Pat Goss -- whose Wildcats were host to the Big Ten Championship -- said playing the team's home course wouldn't be enough to capture the title. \nUnder normal conditions, this might have been true, but familiarity with the course surely provided some aid to the Wildcats as they battled the harsh weather en route to claiming the 2006 championship. \nIU's third-round coup of first place was the result of a balanced team effort. Senior Brad Marek, sophomore Santiago Quirarte and freshmen Drew Allenspach, Seth Brandon and Jorge Campillo shot a combined 283 for the round. Their three-round score of 856 marked the school's third-lowest in its history of Big Ten Championship competition. \nCoach Mike Mayer said he was proud of his team's performance Saturday, but he knew retaining the lead wouldn't be easy. \n"We gave a great effort in some real difficult conditions," he said Saturday in a statement. "I think we are getting more comfortable playing at this championship, and we are going to need to come out and fight hard tomorrow. The conditions are supposed to get pretty nasty, so we have to be prepared to go out there and battle to bring a Big Ten Championship home." \nIU battled, but the 40 mph winds and rain proved insurmountable for the young Hoosiers. While the team's third-round score was the field's second lowest, its tally of 325 in the rainy, final round was tied for the highest. Champion Northwestern proved the most resilient in the weather; the team's 301 was five strokes better than the next-lowest score. Northwestern's Chris Wilson took medalist honors, tallying a four-under 280 through the tournament's four rounds. Wilson trailed Michigan State's Ryan Brehm by as much as seven strokes in the final round before rallying to take first place. \nWith the win, Northwestern will take home an automatic NCAA bid along with its team and individual titles. As for the Hoosiers, their pursuit of an at-large bid looked promising entering the weekend's tournament but might have been hampered by the sixth-place finish.\nMayer wasn't available for comment Sunday but has previously commented on the team's chances of making the NCAA Regionals. \n"We're in what I feel is the toughest region in the state to get a bid," he said. "Here's a prime example: Penn State, a team we've been punishing all year and we beat by 60 shots at (the Kepler Intercollegiate), are about third in their district ... In our district they wouldn't be top 20." \nWith their regular season over, the Hoosiers will now put their tournament fate in the hands of the selection committee in hopes that their recent success will let them play again this season.