Final Results
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – The 24
th-ranked St. Edward's men's golf team defeated the entire field by 16 strokes as it took home first place at the Midwestern State Invitational on Tuesday. The Hilltoppers hit rounds of 282 and 300 today to finish with a total of 870. Midwestern State (300-296-290=886), Southern Nazarene (296-295-300=891), Western New Mexico (294-303-298=895), and Dallas Baptist (297-301-312=910) round out the top five.
St. Edward's placed three players inside the top-5 individually. Both
ENRIQUE LIVAS and
BRIAN SMITH led the Hilltoppers. Livas (72-70-73=215) finished tied for second overall, a career best finish for Livas. He tied for second in Par-3 Scoring (-1).
BRIAN SMITH (72-66-78=216) tied Livas for second place. Smith also tied for second in birdies (12) and placed second in Par-4 Scoring (+2). Smith's impressive six-under par second round included birdies on holes 15, 16, and 17.
JOSE HERNANDEZ (73-69-75=217) tied for fourth overall. Hernandez tied for first in eagles with one, tied for second in Par-4 Scoring (+4), and tied for second in Par-5 Scoring (-3).
DILLON VAN ESSEN (71-77-80=228) tied for 21
st overall. Van Essen tied for first in birdies (5) and Par 5 Scoring (-2).
ANDRES RODAS (80-78-74=232) jumped from 56
th overall to 35
th overall. Rodas was the only Hilltopper to improve his score each round.
The Hilltoppers posted some top marks in the statistical summary. St. Edward's was first in Par-3 Scoring (+11), Par-4 Scoring (+38), eagles (1), and birdies (45).
"I am very happy for the team," head coach
Todd Ohlmeyer said. "This was a solid win against a regional field. Everyone contributed to this win, which will give us confidence going into our next event."
The Hilltoppers defeated seven teams from the Heartland Conference and field that included #9 Western New Mexico.
The team victory was the third of the season for the Hilltoppers and 24
th since joining the NCAA in the 1999-00 season. It was also the second time this year that the team has placed three players in the top-5. The other instance was the Territory Classic in the Fall.
St. Edward's will return to action for The Buccaneer beginning on March 31 in Miami Shores, Fla. The two-day tournament will be played at the Normandy Shores Golf Course and is hosted by defending national champion Barry University. Check for results on the Hilltopper Athletic Website.