Men's Golf | October 20

VERO BEACH, Fla. – The Northern Illinois University men's golf team tied the second-lowest single-round team score in program history on Monday as the Huskies wrapped up the fall slate with an 11^th-place finish at the Quail Valley Collegiate at Quail Valley Golf Club.
 
"It was a huge final day for our team," said head coach John Carlson. "This field is comprised of some of the top teams in the country. We showed today that, even though we're a young team, we posted the lowest score of the day and we belonged. Over the course of 54 holes this week we had 47 strong holes and we're getting close to playing a complete tournament."
 
Sophomore Conner McCall (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) was the Huskies' top finisher with a career-best eighth place finish with a 54-hole score of nine-under par 213. After a 70 in Sunday's opening round, McCall carded seven birdies in the second round for a three-under par 69. McCall wrapped up the tournament Monday with a career-best round of 68, making five straight birdies at one point, and moved 11 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for eighth.
 
Patrick Raupp (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect) had the Huskies' low score in Monday's final round with a five-under par 67, tying his career-low round set most recently in the first round of the Jim DeLapa Collegiate on Sept. 28. Raupp had seven birdies on the day, six of which came in the last 14 holes after starting the day one-over. He moved up 34 places on the leaderboard into a tie for 36^th with a one-under par 215.
 
"Patrick has all the talent in the world," Carlson said. "It's great to see him finish a round like he did today with those birdies in the final stretch. Closing that way will help his mentality as we move forward to figuring out which five players will lead us into the Mid-American Conference Championship this spring."
 
With McCall's 68 and Raupp's 67, the Huskies were primed for a move up the team leaderboard. Craig Long (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton) bounced back from a 75 in Sunday's second round to post his second 70 of the weekend on Monday. Freshman Corentin Guilloux (Longages, France) also had a 70 on Monday for his best round of the fall, capping a team score of 275 which was the lowest of the day. It ties the second-lowest NIU team score which was last set at the 2023 NCAA Regional.
 
"We've had different guys at different times step up in tournaments this season and it really shows our depth," Carlson said. "It shows our talent and that we're maturing on the golf course."

The Huskies moved up from 15^th into a tie for 11^th with Maryland on Monday, finishing with a team score of 10-under par 854. That is the 10^th-lowest 54-hole team score for NIU since 1980. Memphis held off a charge from Florida Gulf Coast to win the tournament by one stroke.
 
NIU starts is spring schedule Feb. 23-25 at the Lake Las Vegas Invitational, hosted by Arkansas State at Reflection Bay Golf Club in Henderson, Nev.
 
--NIU--
 
Individual Results
T-8. Conner McCall                       70-69-68=207 (-9)
T-36. Craig Long                               70-75-70=215 (-1)
T-36. Patrick Raupp                      73-75-67=215 (-1)
61. Corentin Guilloux                  73-76-70=219 (+3)
79. Devin Swoyer                            77-74-74=225 (+9)