Men's Golf | August 30

NASHPORT, Ohio - The Northern Illinois University men's golf team opened its 2026-27 season with a fourth-place finish at the Virtues Intercollegiate, which wrapped up play Sunday at Virtues Golf Club.

"This was a solid start to the year," said head coach John Carlson. "We led the field in par-five scoring and had an outstanding individual performance from Conner McCall who tied for third. Our team limited bogeys in the final round and finished double-digits under par, which is a testament to the hard work out players put in during the offseason."

Conner McCall (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) was under par in all three rounds this weekend, tying his career-best 54-hole score of nine-under par 207. The junior was the Huskies' lowest scorer in each round, posting a 69 in Saturday's opening round followed by a 70 in the afternoon. On Sunday McCall carded a final round 68 with five birdies and only one bogey. He finished tied for third, his career-best individual finish.

NIU was able to get past Bowling Green on Sunday and move into fourth place with under-par rounds from Beau Petersen (Gretna, Neb.) and Devin Swoyer (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central). Petersen carded a 69 on Sunday, highlighted by his second eagle of the weekend on the par-five 10th. He moved up 14 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 19th at even par for the tournament. Swoyer also had a round of 69 on Sunday to compliment his opening round two-under 70 from Saturday morning. He had six birdies on his card in the final round and finished 10th at four-under par. It was Swoyer's fourth top-10 finish in his career.

Craig Long (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton) rounded out NIU's scoring group on Sunday with a one-over par 73. Long finished tied for 27th at +3. Patrick Raupp (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect) tied for 32nd at +4. He was one of three Huskies to score under par in the first round, posting a two-under par 70. NIU, as a team, had a team score of 12-under par 852 and finished four shots behind third-place Richmond. Michigan won the tournament by nine strokes over Miami.

Junior Jack Mulligan (Burr Ridge, Ill./Hinsdale Central) was the top individual in the field, taking 12th place with a two-under par 214. He had an opening round 70 on Saturday, followed by a 73 in the afternoon. On Sunday Mulligan posted another round under par with a 71.

"Devin, Beau and Jack all played great this weekend," Carlson said. "We showed our depth this week. This team is still young with no fifth-year players, but we also have experience with everyone returning from last year. We look forward to the work we will put in for the next week heading into a huge opportunity at the Canadian Collegiate."

NIU is back in action Sept. 13-15 at the Canadian Collegiate, hosted by Kent State at Öviinbyrd Golf Club in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada.

—NIU—