McLean County Times

Paced by strong performances from TJ Barger and Max Faucquez, the Illinois State men's golf team moved up two spots to finish eighth at the Island Resort Intercollegiate in Bark River, Michigan. The Redbirds posted a three-round score of 845, which ties for the ninth-best tournament total in program history.

Illinois State's final round score of 276 matches the sixth-best single-round mark ever recorded by the team. All four scoring players finished at least two shots under par for the day. The Redbirds surpassed UTEP and South Dakota State in the standings and stayed ahead of Miami (Ohio) and Ball State. West Virginia took first place with a team score of 809, followed by Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State, St. Mary's, Nebraska, and UCF.

Barger led Illinois State after starting his round with an eagle on the par-four 10th hole and finishing with a 68. His overall tournament score of 205 is both his collegiate best and ranks as the 11th-best individual tournament score in program history.

Faucquez secured an 11th-place individual finish after rounds of 70, 69, and a final-round 68—his lowest collegiate round to date. He ended at nine-under-par (207), improving his previous best tournament performance by nine strokes.

Francis Bautista matched his career-low round with a 70 and tied his best tournament total at even-par 216 to finish tied for 47th.

Competing as an individual entry, Pietro Pontiggia closed with a three-under-par 69 for a total of one-over-par 217, tying for 53rd place. Teammate Aiden Cudney also finished at 217 after shooting a two-under-par 70 in the final round—both personal records for him. In his first college event, Gonzalo Cuellar placed 81st after carding a final-round score of three-over-par 75.

The Redbirds are scheduled to compete next at the Ram Masters Invitational hosted by Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado in ten days.