McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's golf team has achieved a significant milestone by securing the second position in the NCAA Division III Scoreboard rankings, powered by Clippd. The rankings were released on Wednesday, October 23.

Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) holds an average of 85.29 points, placing them just behind Washington & Lee, which leads with 101.78 points. Methodist, the current NCAA Division III National Champion, follows closely in third place with 84.85 points. Emory and Aurora complete the top five with scores of 81.84 and 78.68 respectively.

The strong performance of IWU is attributed to its talented lineup. Junior Michael Spitzer from Hinsdale Central is ranked as IWU's highest player at number 14 with a score of 52.25. Senior Griffin Pohl from Lyons Township is positioned at number 18 with a score of 50.37, while senior Quinn Clifford from Brother Rice ranks at number 30 with a score of 44.99. Junior Aidan Healy from Lincoln-Way West stands at number 41 with a score of 41.31, and junior Juney Bai from Lincoln-Way Central rounds out the lineup at number 52 with a score of 37.59.

The depth of the team is further demonstrated by senior Raj Sethi from Arizona College Prep and freshman Pablo Castro from Palatine High School being placed within the top-115 individually; Sethi ranks at number 88 and Castro at number 115.

During the fall season, IWU claimed two team titles by winning both the Hawk 36 and the Wabash Invite tournaments. They also secured fourth place at the prestigious Folds of Honor event and finished as runners-up in the NCAA Division III Preview while taking seventh place at Golfweek.

Looking ahead, IWU will resume competition in spring, with their full schedule expected to be announced soon.