The Hillsdale College men's golf team battled against a tough course and tough field at the Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational on Monday and Tuesday in North Carolina, ending the fall with a sixth place team finish and a critical regional victory over Findlay.
Playing on the Catawba Springs Golf Course in Hickory, North Carolina, the Chargers shot 297-296-304=897 as a team to place sixth overall, with three golfers placing in the top 20 to help lead the Chargers.
Senior Darragh Monaghan was consistent for Hillsdale, shooting a 74-74-73=221 to finish 11th overall in the event and lead the Chargers, while fellow senior Gerry Jones Jr. shot a 71-73-78=222 to finish a stroke back and tie for 12th, and freshman Maxwell Burns carded a 74-75-74=223 to finish two strokes back in a 17th-place tie.
Those three consistent scores helped Hillsdale edge past the Oilers, who shot 901 to take seventh. Often one of the top teams in the Midwest Region, Findlay entered the tournament likely ahead of the Chargers in the regional pecking order, making this a potentially consequential win down the road as Hillsdale looks to make the NCAA DII Super Regional, and a solid way to end the fall portion of its schedule.
Drew Gandy shot a 78-74-81=233 to finish tied for 44th and Carson Stohler shot a 80-81-79=240 to tie for 62nd as well for the Chargers.
Hillsdale was the invitational's top team on par 3 holes, shooting an event best 10-over for the three rounds, which helped the Chargers overcome a middle-of-the-pack showing on par 5s. Both Gandy and Monaghan were impressive on those holes, shooting even par to tie for the second best showing by an individual on Par 3s in the invite.
Hillsdale ends the fall after a solid showing in five invitationals having put themselves in a position to contend for a spot in the NCAA DII Super Regional, but with work left to do to secure a bid as the Chargers move towards the spring season and the back half of their schedule. Hillsdale will train over the winter and be back in action on the course on Feb. 20, 2023, when the Chargers travel to Dade City, Florida to play in the Saint Leo Invitational. That kicks off a stretch of four invitationals leading up to the G-MAC Championships in mid-April.