Men's Golf Travels to MVC Championship Meet

Monday, April 23

Cape Girardeau, Missouri

8 a.m.

University of Northern Iowa

MVC Championship (Dalhousie Golf Club)

Men's Golf Travels to MVC Championship Meet

4/20/2018 1:09:00 PM | Men's Golf

The 2018 Missouri Valley Conference men's golf championship will take place Monday-Tuesday, April 23-24, at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Teams will play 36 holes on Monday and conclude with 18 holes on Tuesday.

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The University of Northern Iowa men's golf team, under the direction of head coach John Bermel, has been pegged for sixth in the pre-championship coaches poll. Sam DeBartolo leads the Panthers with a 74.90 stroke average through 29 rounds this season. Marshal Lamb ranks second on the squad with a 75.86 stroke average entering the MVC Championship meet.

Coaches have tabbed Illinois State (81 total points) as the unanimous favorite to win this year's men's golf title. Southern Illinois, Missouri State and Bradley have been slated as the biggest challengers to Illinois State, picked second thru fourth, respectively, in the coaches pre-championship poll.

Illinois State enters the MVC Championship as the league's top-rated program in the GolfStat team rankings while three Redbirds rank among the MVC's top 12 players in stroke average this year, including Zach Burry, David Perkins and two-time defending MVC champ Trent Wallace. Newcomer David Rauer is also among the league's top golfers, sporting a stroke average of 73.88 through 33 rounds.

SIU is led by Peyton Wilhoit, who sports the league's top stroke average (71.81), and junior Luke Gannon (74.48). Wilhoit has the league's best individual 18-hole round (66) and has two tournament wins to his credit.

Bradley's Ethan Brue also has two tournament medalist trophies and has a top-10 stroke average in the league (73.00). Evansville's Tyler Gray could be a factor at the championship as he leads the Aces with a 72.67 stroke average. A quartet of Missouri State golfers are among the tops in the MVC in stroke average including Adam Fisher (71.93), Jack Knoesel (72.00), Kory Franks (72.83) and Brad Carpenter (73.15).

During the season, the league sported five team titles, while MVC golfers combined to take home nine medalist honors during 2017-18. Of current members, Illinois State (5), Drake (5), Missouri State (1) and Southern Illinois (1) own previous league titles in men's golf.

DALHOUSIE GOLF CLUB
Since opening in 2002, the remarkable Dalhousie Golf Club boasts one of the top 200 private golf courses in the United States and top three private golf courses in the state of Missouri. Nestled on a beautiful 1,000-acre tract of land in historic Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Dalhousie is located on the banks of the Mississippi River, just two hours south of St. Louis. Dalhousie exceeds your expectations in every area. More than a golf outing, Dalhousie is an exquisite experience. The club's name and history go back almost as far as the game of golf.

The par-72 Nicklaus designed course sits on land originally settled in 1798 by Scottish immigrant Rebecca Ramsey, sister of the Earl of Dalhousie. The original antebellum mansion emulating the Scotland's famous Dalhousie castle skirts the course. Inspired by the classic Scottish-style manor houses of old, the 20,853 square-foot clubhouse, The Dalhousie Manor, blends Old World charm and elegance with contemporary amenities.

2017 REVIEW
The 2017 Missouri Valley Conference men's golf championship took place April 24-25 at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club (Course #4) in Lemont, Ill. Wichita State earned its 21st all-time MVC men's golf title (more than any other school) and the Shockers represented the MVC in the NCAA Regionals. Brad Carpenter of Missouri State earned the league's Elite 18 Award – he's the first golfer from MSU to do so (3.934 in Finance). Ethan Brue of Bradley earned the MVC Newcomer of the Year honor – the first Bradley golfer to do so.

Medalist Trent Wallace of Illinois State became the 12th in MVC history to earn conference medalist honors 2 times (the then-sophomore also won in 2016). Wallace, who qualified for the NCAAs as an individual, saw his historic season come to a heartbreaking end in the third round of the NCAA Division I Championship at the par-72, 7,735-yard Rich Harvest Farms. He fired a 1-under-par 71 (37-34) in that round, including a stellar 2-under-par 34 on the back nine. He finished the three rounds in a tie for 44th place out of 156 student-athletes and did better than 36 nationally-ranked participants, as he finished with an even-par 216 (73-72-71). Wallace became the first MVC individual qualifer to reach the NCAA Finals since 2005.