Vikings finish fifth in the CCIW; go 110-96 head-to-head; David Ferlmann and Tanner Obal share MVP honors; Augustana logs third-place finishes at Duhawk, Dubuque at Fighting Scot Invitationals
 
Coach Paul Del Vecchio's Augustana golf team shaved 36 strokes off last year's CCIW Championship score and jumped a spot in the team standings, taking fifth place this year with a collective score of 1210 (305-306-300-299). The Vikings compiled a head-to-head mark of 110-96 on the year and senior David Ferlmann (Peoria Notre Dame HS, Dunlap, Ill.) and junior Tanner Obal (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) shared MVP honors for this year's team. Three of the team's better efforts came at the Duhawk Fall (14 teams), Dubuque (12 teams) and Fighting Scot (12 teams) Invitationals, where the Vikings finished third each time.
 
Obal and Ferlmann were neck-and-neck for the team scoring lead this year. Obal averaged an Augustana-best 77.3 strokes over 23 rounds in 13 events. Ferlmann also played in all 13 events and 23 rounds and posted an average of 77.6 strokes.
 
Obal was the Vikings' top performer at the CCIW Championship, shooting a 12th-place 75-76-76-73—300. His best finish was fifth (80) at the Viking Shootout and he had a low round of 73 on three occasions.
 
Ferlmann had a team-high four top-ten finishes. He tied for fourth (72-75—147) at the Prairie Fire Classic, finished sixth (81) at the Viking Shootout, tied for ninth (75) at the Duhawk Fall Invite and was 10th (74-74—148) at the Fighting Scot Invitational. His opening round at the Prairie Fire Classic matched the Vikings' low for the year and was one of two par rounds carded by an Augustana player this year. Ferlmann finished tied for 18th (76-77-76-75—304) at the CCIW Championship.
 
With an average round of 78.4 strokes over 20 rounds in 10 events, junior Eric Swanson (Vernon Hills HS, Vernon Hills, Ill.) trailed only Obal and Ferlmann in scoring. He shot an opening-round 72 at the Dubuque Invite, equaling the Vikings' best of the year. He finished fourth (79) at the Viking Shootout and tied for seventh (72-76—148) at Dubuque. He shot 75-80-73-76—304 to tie for 18th at the CCIW Championship.
 
Sophomore Gabe Askam (Jacobs HS, West Dundee, Ill.) averaged 78.9 strokes in 10 event and 18 rounds. His 72 at the Elmhurst Bluejay Classic matched Augustana's lowest round of the season and was one of two par rounds for the Vikings this year. That earned him a tie for seventh place, his highest finish of the season. He also tied for ninth (75) at the Duhawk Fall Invite. He finished 34th at the CCIW Championship with a score of 80-82-78-80—320.
 
Like Obal and Ferlmann, freshman Alex Sierra (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) and junior Michael Jacobs (Aquin HS, Freeport, Ill.) each played 23 rounds in 13 events this season. Sierra was Augustana's Newcomer of the Year and Jacobs earned Most Improved Player honors.
 
Sierra averaged 79.1 strokes and his second-round 73 at the CCIW Championship was his low for the year. He shot 82-73-75-75—305 for the tournament to finish 20th. His highest finish came at the Vikings Shootout, where he carded an 82 to tie for seventh.
 
Jacobs' average was 79.7 per 18. He had a low round of 73 twice—on the first day of the Midwest Region Classic, where he tied for eighth (73-76—149) and at the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational, where he tied for sixth. Those were his two highest finishes this year. At the conference tournament, he shot 79-84-80-84—327 to finish 39th.
 
Sophomore Ben Groselak (Lemont HS, Lemont, Ill.) was the only other Viking to log double-digit rounds. He played 11 in six events and averaged 85.5 strokes. His highest finish was a tie for 16th (90) at the Viking Shootout and he shot an opening-round 79 at the Clarke Fall Classic, his low for the year.
 
 
2016 COLLEGE CONFERENCE OF ILLINOIS & WISCONSIN CHAMPIONSHIP
April 28-30, 2016 ** Prairie Landing Golf Course ** West Chicago, Illinois
Par 72, 6806 yards

 

Rank	Team	Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Rd 4	Total	Par
1	Illinois Wesleyan	301	287	293	283	1164	+12
2	Carthage	291	295	295	294	1175	+23
3	Millikin	290	292	289	305	1176	+24
4	Elmhurst	297	294	297	308	1196	+44
5	AUGUSTANA	305	306	300	299	1210	+58
6	Wheaton	307	304	304	312	1227	+75
7	North Central	319	318	308	322	1267	+115
8	North Park	337	331	327	333	1328	+176

 

Rank	Player	Team	Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Rd 4	Total	Par
1	Buente, Blaine	Millikin	69	73	69	73	284	-4
2	Meneghetti, Matt	Carthage	72	71	75	70	288	E
3	O'Neil, Conner	Illinois Wesleyan	78	71	72	69	290	+2
4	Pershing, Drew	Illinois Wesleyan	76	75	74	67	292	+4
t5	Brenkman, Kyle	Elmhurst	72	73	72	77	294	+6
t5	Tynan, Tim	Illinois Wesleyan	74	69	77	74	294	+6
7	Stewart, Alex	Carthage	75	72	71	77	295	+7
t8	Lenchner, Sean	Elmhurst	73	73	75	75	296	+8
t8	Tompkins, Trevor	Illinois Wesleyan	75	75	73	73	296	+8
10	Simonson, Jarrett	Carthage	72	73	77	76	298	+10
12	Obal, Tanner	AUGUSTANA	75	76	76	73	300	+12
t18	Ferlmann, David	AUGUSTANA	76	77	76	75	304	+16
t18	Swanson, Eric	AUGUSTANA	75	80	73	76	304	+16
20	Sierra, Alex	AUGUSTANA	82	73	75	75	305	+17
34	Askam, Gabe	AUGUSTANA	80	82	78	80	320	+32
39	Jacobs, Michael	AUGUSTANA	79	84	80	84	327	+39

 
2015-16 AUGUSTANA SUPERLATIVES


AUGUSTANA TEAM FINISHES: 3rd – Duhawk Fall Invite (09/08/15, 14 teams)... 11th – Tim Kopka Memorial (09/12/15, 19 teams)... 9th – Clarke Fall Classic (09/13/15, 10 teams)... 3rd – Dubuque Invitational (09/19-20/15, 12 teams)... 9th – North Park Invitational (09-21/15, 12 teams)... 7th – Midwest Region Classic (09/26/15, 31 teams)... 2nd – Viking Shootout (10/12/15, three teams)... 9th – Pima Invitational (02/29/16, 10 teams)... 6th – Knox Invitational (03/26/16, seven teams)... 13th – Illinois Wesleyan Invitational (04/01/16, 21 teams)... 15th – Augustana Invitational (04/08-09/16, 26 teams)... 11th – Weist Foundation Classic (04/15-16/16, 18 teams)... 5th – Elmhurst Bluejay Classic (04/21/16, 18 teams)... 3rd – Fighting Scot Invitational (04/24/16, 12 teams).
                                                                           
INDIVIDUAL TOP TEN FINISHERS IN INVITATIONALS:
09/08/15 – Duhawk Fall Invite (8th – Michael Jacobs, 74... T-9th – Gabe Askam 75... T-9th – David Ferlmann 75... T-9th – Eric Swanson 75)
09/19-20/15 – Dubuque Invitational (T-7th – Eric Swanson, 72-76—148)
09/26/15 – Midwest Region Classic (T-8th – Michael Jacobs, 73-76—149)
10/12/15 – Viking Shootout (4th – Eric Swanson, 79... 5th – Tanner Obal, 80... 6th – David Ferlmann, 81... T-7th – Alex Sierra, 82)
03/26/16 – Knox Invitational (4th – David Ferlmann, 72-75—147)
04/01/16 – Illinois Wesleyan Invitational (T-6th – Michael Jacobs, 73)
04/21/16 – Elmhurst Bluejay Classic (T-7th – Gabe Askam, 72)
04/24/16 – Fighting Scot Invitational (10th – David Ferlmann, 74-74—148)
 
CCIW ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE: Gabe Askam, Ben Groselak, Michael Jacobs, Dalton Love, Alex Sierra.
 
TEAM AWARDS:
MOST VALUBALE PLAYER – David Ferlmann, Tanner Obal
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR – Alex Sierra
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER – Michael Jacobs