Vikings finish in a tie for sixth in the CCIW; finish 80-64-1 head-to-head; David Ferlmann named MVP; Jake Groselak named to Capital One Academic All-District team
 
The 2014-15 season marked the third consecutive year in which Coach Paul Del Vecchio's Augustana men's golf squad improved its head-to-head winning percentage. The Vikings went 80-64-1 (.555) this year and finished in a tie for sixth at the 2015 CCIW Championship on April 30-May 2. Augustana's four-round total at the Rail in Springfield, Illinois was 1246.
 
Some of the team's top performances included third-place finishes at the 10-team Loras Invite on September 2 and the nine-team Dubuque Fall Invite on September 20-21, along with a sixth-place finish among 28 teams at the NCAA Division III Midwest Region Classic on September 29-20 and a fifth-place performance at the 21-team Augustana Invitational on April 10-11. The Vikings also claimed the Vike-Scot Shootout over Monmouth on September 26.
 
Individually, junior David Ferlmann (Peoria Notre Dame HS, Dunlap, Ill.) was selected as the team's MVP. He led the Vikings with an average round of 77.7 strokes. He played 20 rounds in 11 events and recorded three top-ten finishes, including a winning round of 73 at the Vike-Scot Shootout. He also finished eighth (78-76—154) at the Dubuque Fall Invite and 10th (81-75—156) at the Augustana Invitational. Ferlmann's low round for the season was a 71 on the first day of the Weist Foundation Classic in Decatur, Illinois on April 17. He finished in a tie for 32nd at the CCIW Championship, carding a 318 (82-84-77-75) over four rounds.
 
Sophomore Tanner Obal (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) was one of three Vikings to play in all 12 events and 22 rounds this season. He was second on the team with an average round of 78.1 strokes. He had a team-high four top-ten finishes, highlighted by a tie for second (74) at the Vike-Scot Shootout. That round equaled his best of the season, one that he matched on the final day of the CCIW Championship, where he tied for 21st overall (75-83-76-74—308) and was tops among the Vikings. Obal's other top-ten finishes came at the Purdue-Calumet Mike Lalaeff Invitational (tie for 7th: 80-72—152), the Loras Fall Invite (tie for 8th: 78) and the Dubuque Fall Invite (9th: 79-76—155).
 
Sophomore Eric Swanson (Vernon Hills HS, Vernon Hills, Ill.) was selected as Augustana's Most Improved Player this season. He averaged 79.3 strokes over 22 rounds in 12 events. He had a best round of 73 on two occasions. The first came on the first day of the Carthage/Tim Kopka Memorial Tournament and the other in the second round of the Dubuque Fall Invite. His three top-ten finishes were seventh (81-73—154) at Dubuque, a tie for eighth (78) at the Vike-Scot Shootout and a tie for 10th (73-77—150) at the Kopka Memorial. Swanson finished in a tie for 32nd (83-81-77-77—318) at the CCIW Championship.
 
Senior two-time captain Jake Groselak (Lemont HS, Lemont, Ill.) was the third Viking to play every round of every event. The Capital One Academic All-District selection averaged 80.4 strokes per round and tied for second place (76) at the Loras Fall Invite. His low round of 73 came on the first day of the Weist Foundation Classic and he was 23rd at the CCIW Championship (79-77-78-76—310).
 
Senior Grant Murphy (Dunlap HS, Peoria, Ill.) averaged 80.5 strokes over 14 rounds in eight events. He shot a season-low 74 to tie for second at the Vike-Scot Shootout. Murphy finished 36th at the CCIW Championship (75-86-81-81—323).
 
Senior Josh Kukla (Zion-Benton HS, Winthrop Harbor, Ill.) played 20 rounds in 10 events, averaging 82.4 strokes. His highest finish was a tie for 14th at the Augustana Invitational (83-76—159). He finished 28th (78-83-77-75—313) at the CCIW Championship, where he shot a season-low round of 75 on the final day.
 
The Augustana Newcomer of the Year for 2014-15 was freshman Gabe Askam (Jacobs HS, West Dundee, Ill.). He averaged 81.6 strokes over eight rounds in six events. His low round of 75 came at the Vike-Scot Shootout and earned him a fifth-place finish. He tied for 10th at the Loras Fall Invite with a round of 80.
 
Senior Max Channon (Wheaton-Warrenville South HS, Wheaton, Ill.) averaged 83.5 strokes over 10 rounds in seven events. He recorded top-ten finishes at the Vike-Scot Shootout, where he was seventh with a season-low round of 77 and at the Loras Fall Invite, where he tied for 10th with an 80.
 
 
2015 COLLEGE CONFERENCE OF ILLINOIS & WISCONSIN CHAMPIONSHIP
April 30-May 2, 2015 ** The Rail ** Springfield, Illinois
Par 72, 6630 yards
 

Rank	Team	Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Rd 4	Total	Par
1	Illinois Wesleyan	289	297	276	287	1149	-3
2	Carthage	282	306	287	295	1170	+18
3	Millikin	303	300	289	294	1186	+34
4	North Central	300	313	314	303	1230	+78
5	Elmhurst	301	307	312	312	1232	+80
t6	AUGUSTANA	311	325	308	302	1246	+94
t6	Wheaton	313	316	308	309	1246	+94
8	North Park	354	355	355	342	1406	+254

 

Rank	Player	Team	Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Rd 4	Total	Par
1	Wienckowski, Kenny	Illinois Wesleyan	74	72	70	69	285	-3
2	Buente, Blaine	Millikin	75	68	72	72	287	-1
t3	Berna, Evan	Illinois Wesleyan	80	72	68	69	289	+1
t3	Groessl, Spencer	Illinois Wesleyan	73	75	68	73	289	+1
t5	Albano, Tony	Illinois Wesleyan	67	77	74	72	290	+2
t5	Simonson, Jarrett	Carthage	72	74	73	71	290	+2
7	Bubenicek, Mike	Millikin	73	77	72	70	292	+4
8	Tynan, Tim	Illinois Wesleyan	75	73	68	77	293	+5
t9	Donovan, Kyle	Carthage	69	74	71	80	294	+6
t9	Meneghetti, Matt	Carthage	70	79	72	73	294	+6
t21	Obal, Tanner	AUGUSTANA	75	83	76	74	308	+20
23	Groselak, Jake	AUGUSTANA	79	77	78	76	310	+22
28	Kukla, Josh	AUGUSTANA	78	83	77	75	313	+25
t32	Ferlmann, David	AUGUSTANA	82	84	77	75	318	+30
t32	Swanson, Eric	AUGUSTANA	83	81	77	77	318	+30
36	Murphy, Grant	AUGUSTANA	75	86	81	81	323	+35

 
2014-15 AUGUSTANA SUPERLATIVES

AUGUSTANA TEAM FINISHES: 3rd – Loras Fall Invite (09/02/14, 10 teams)... 7th – Carthage/Tim Kopka Memorial (09/05-06/14, 16 teams)... 5th – Purdue-Calumet Mike Lalaeff Invitational (09/15-16/14, eight teams)... 3rd – University of Dubuque Fall Invite (09/20-21/14, nine teams)... 1st – Vike-Scot Shootout (09/26/14, two teams)... 6th – NCAA Division III Midwest Region Classic (09/29-30/14, 28 teams)... 19th – Illinois Wesleyan Invitational (04/03-04/15, 20 teams)... 5th – Augustana Invitational (04/10-11/15, 21 teams)... 8th – Weist Foundation Classic (04/17-18/15, 15 teams)... 12th – Scot-Fire Invitational (04/24/15, 19 teams).

INDIVIDUAL TOP TEN FINISHERS IN INVITATIONALS:
09/02/14 – Loras Fall Invite (T-2nd – Jake Groselak, 76... T-8th – Tanner Obal, 78... T-10th – Gabe Askam, 80... Max Channon, 80)
09/05-06/14 – Carthage/Tim Kopka Memorial (T-10th – Eric Swanson, 73-77—150)
09/15-16/14 – Purdue-Calumet Mike Lalaeff Invitational (T-7th – Tanner Obal, 80-72—152)
09/20-21/14 – University of Dubuque Fall Invite (7th – Eric Swanson, 71-73—154... 8th – David Ferlmann, 78-76—154... 9th – Tanner Obal, 79-76—155)
09/26/14 – Vike-Scot Shootout (1st – David Ferlmann, 73... T-2nd – Grant Murphy, 74...Tanner Obal 74... 5th – Gabe Askam, 75... 6th – Ben Groselak, 76... 7th – Max Channon, 77... T-8th – Michael Jacobs, 78... Eric Swanson, 78)
04/10-11/15 – Augustana Invitational (10th – David Ferlmann, 81-75—156)
 
CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Jake Groselak
 
CCIW ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE: Maxwell Channon, Ben Groselak, Jake Groselak, Michael Jacobs
 
TEAM AWARDS:
MOST VALUBALE PLAYER – David Ferlmann
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR – Gabe Askam
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER – Eric Swanson