McLean County Times

PENFIELD, NY - A strong start has the fifth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's golf team in second place with one round remaining at the NCAA Division III Preview. The Titans carded rounds of 276 and 277 on the par-72 Midvale Country Club to finish the day 23-under par on Sunday, Sept. 22.

In a field that includes the top-eight ranked teams in the country, Illinois Wesleyan is the only team among the 18 competing to have all five golfers finish under par. With rounds of 12-under and 11-under par, IWU sits second in the team standings behind No. 3 Emory (270-275=545) by eight strokes. No. 1 Methodist is third at 559 (284-279), followed by seventh-ranked Washington & Lee (285-276=561) and No. 18 Guilford (286-278=564). Emory's Brian Hanson posted rounds of 65 and 67 to lead the 90-player leaderboard at 132.

Seniors Quinn Clifford (Chicago, Ill.-Brother Rice) and Griffin Pohl (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township), along with junior Aidan Healy (New Lenox, Ill.-Lincoln-Way West), are tied for ninth at six-under par, 138. Clifford opened with a round of 65 before closing with a one-over 73. Pohl recorded a one-under 71 in round one and added a five-under 67 in round two to move into the top-10, while Healy tallied consecutive rounds of three-under 69.

Junior Michael Spitzer (Hinsdale, Ill.-Hinsdale Central) shares the position of nineteenth at three-under, scoring a total of 141. Fellow junior Juney Bai (Mokena, Ill.-Lincoln-Way Central) is tied for twenty-sixth at one-under, scoring a total of 143.

The final round of this event, which provides teams an early look at the site of the upcoming NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship in May next year, is scheduled for tomorrow, Sept. 23 at Cobblestone Creek Country Club in Victor, NY. The round will begin with a shotgun start at 7:45 a.m. ET.

IWU Individual Results:

t9. Quinn Clifford: Rounds - [65-73] = Total - [138]

t9. Griffin Pohl: Rounds - [71-67] = Total - [138]

t9. Aidan Healy: Rounds - [69-69] = Total - [138]

t19. Michael Spitzer: Rounds - [71-70] = Total - [141]

t26. Juney Bai: Rounds - [72-71] = Total - [143]

Team Standings:

1. Emory: Rounds - [270-275] = Total - [545]

2. Illinois Wesleyan: Rounds - [276-277]

3. Methodist: Rounds - [284-275] = Total - [559]

4. Washington & Lee: Rounds - [285-276] = Total - [561]

5. Guilford: Rounds - [286-278] = Total - [564]

6. Berry: Rounds - [289-278] = Total - [567]

7. Carnegie Mellon: Rounds –[286–284]=Total-[570]

t8.Oglethorpe:Rnds-[282–290]=Ttl-[572]; t8.Bethel:Rnds-[279–293]=Ttl-[572];

10.Rochester:Rnds-[284–291]=Ttl-[575];

11.Kenyon:Rnds-[282–297]=Ttl-[579];

12.Hampden-Sydney:Rnds-[286–295]=Ttl-[581];

13.NYU:Rnds-[292–293]=Ttl-[585];

14.Franklin&Marshall:Rnds-[296–292]=Ttl-[588];

15.Huntingdon:Rnds=[284–305]=Ttl=[589];

t16.St.JohnFisher:[303–301=604]; t16.Hamilton:[297–307=604]; t16.McDaniel:[301–304=604];