Men's Golf | March 18

TUCSON, Ariz. – The Northern Illinois University men's golf team faced firm and windy conditions, plus four teams ranked in the top-30 nationally, and finished in 12th place at this week's Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate, which wrapped up play Tuesday at Tucson Country Club.

"The golf course got firm, similar to US Open conditions around the greens," said head coach John Carlson. "The wind got up to 25 miles per hour yesterday and up to 40 miles per hour today, which made scoring very difficult for everybody. We struggled once again in the wind which led to a disappointing finish to a really solid three weeks to start the spring."

The Huskies were seventh after Monday's opening round, posting a team score of one-under par 287. Ben Sluzas (Lockport, Ill./Lockport) led NIU in the first round with a three-under par round of 69 that included two eagles. Freshman Patrick Raupp (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect) was also under par in the round with a one-under 71. Jack Mulligan (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) carded an even-par 72 as Craig Long (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton) and Felix Krammer (Waakirchen, Germany/Arkansas State) both had rounds of 75.

Sluzas was NIU's top finisher for the second straight tournament, tying for 40th with a 54-hole score of 11-over par 227. He was one of three Huskies to have a round of 76 in Monday's second round. Raupp tied for 46th at 13-over par.

"Patrick played great for 36 holes this week," Carlson said. "He has solidified himself as a part of our lineup. We're going to be counting on him moving forward and learning from this and his practices will be better."

The Huskies, as a team, finished with a team score of +56 920. NIU was two strokes ahead of Hawaii for 12th place. The tournament hosts #25 Arizona won the event by one stroke over #29 Long Beach State with #10 Utah third.

"In college golf you're really evaluated by the rounds when you don't have it," said Carlson. "Today we found out the top teams handle the conditions better. We have to work on that and make it a strength of ours going forward."

NIU will host the Kishwaukee Intercollegiate on Saturday, April 5 at Kishwaukee Country Club in DeKalb. The 36-hole event will begin at 9 a.m. CT.

"Having a home golf tournament is a unique experience," Carlson said about the upcoming Kishwaukee Intercollegiate. "To be able to play at home in front of family and fans will be a comfortable environment. It's a course we practice at often each year and I think we'l be able to take advantage of the course knowledge we have. It'll be a great experience for our alumni, donors and friends of the program to be out there watching our guys."

--NIU--