Over the month of October, Indiana has placed in the the top-5 in three consecutive tournaments. Its mark of sucess as of late came from a third-place finish in Vero Beach, Florida on Oct. 16. Undeterred, Indiana continued its winning streak at the Cardinal Invitational held in Muncie, Indiana on Oct. 23, with freshman Nick Piesen taking home first place.
Quail Valley Invitational
Indiana finished the Quail Valley Invitational with a score of 837 (271-281-285; -27). The Hoosiers started their competition with an opening round score of 271 (-17), tying a school record.
Individually, sixth-year senior Noah Gillard led the way for Indiana, finishing in sixth place overall. Gillard shot a combined score of 206 (67-69-70; -10) while also knocking in 15 birdies at 54 holes.
Additionally, senior Drew Salyers shot a score of 208 (68-67-73; -8) while carding 14 birdies throughout the tournament. Salyers finished in ninth place, marking his fourth top-10 finish this season.
The Hoosiers achieved a score of 552 (-24) over the first 36 holes, marking the program's second-lowest tally through two rounds in the history of the program.
The rest of Indiana’s starting lineup included freshman Cole Starnes, graduate student Thomas Hursey and redshirt junior Robert Bender III. Starnes, from Fishers, Indiana, posted a score of 215 (70-73-72; -1) and matched Gillard’s total of 15 birdies.
Hursey finished tied for 36th, notching a scorecard of 215 (68-77-70; -1) alongside 12 birdies. Bender III completed the competition tied for 50th, notching a score of 217 (68-72-77; +1) while posting 11 birdies.
Cardinal Invitational
A week later, four players competed in the Cardinal Individual on Oct. 23 in Muncie, Ind. Freshman Nick Piesen made a statement, winning the event in the 24 player, 36-hole tournament. Piesen scored a 134 (68-66; -6) in his collegiate debut, while also knocking in four birdies in his last six holes of the event.
Placing second for Indiana was fifth-year senior Eric Berggren, who tied for sixth place in Muncie. Berggren compiled a scorecard of 141 (70-71; +1), carding seven total birdies throughout 36 holes.
Junior Kieran Hogarth and freshman Neri Checcucci finished third and fourth for the Hoosiers. Hogarth finished the tournament in 11th place overall and ended with a scorecard of 144 (75-69; +4), including seven total birdies. Checcucci, originally from Florence, Italy competed in his first event of the fall season. He ended in 18th place with scores of 151 (75-76; +11).
Indiana ends its fall season with the Steelwood Collegiate from Oct. 28 to 29. The Hoosiers will travel to Loxley, Alabama, for a chance to finish in the top-5 in four consecutive tournaments.
