EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Golf completed play Monday afternoon with its split-squad schedule for the week at the Wright State University Invitational and Vincennes University Spring Invitational, wrapping up the regular-season slate for the Screaming Eagles.
At the Wright State Invitational at Heatherwoode Golf Club, USI finished seventh out of 12 teams with a three-round score of 853 (286, 286, 281) and one stroke over par. After sitting in eighth place following 36 holes and down to ninth early in the final round on Monday, the Screaming Eagles made a solid charge late in the day to jump a couple of spots up to seventh and shoot their best team-round score by five strokes. The third-round 281 was one stroke away from tying the team’s best round total of 2024-25, which was a 280 in the fall at the Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate.
Senior Sam Vertanen paced the team with a sixth-place finish on the individual leaderboard, his first career top-10 finish while at USI. Vertanen posted a USI career-best 208 (70, 70, 68), three strokes better than his previous career mark at USI. The senior had a strong start in round one, totaling five birdies with four birdies coming in a five-hole stretch. Vertanen’s third-round 68 tied his season-best round from the Grover Page Classic in the fall.
Fellow senior Jason Bannister also had a solid finish with a third-round 68. Overall, Bannister shot even par at 213 (72, 73, 68) for a top 25. The third-round 68 was Bannister’s fifth time shooting a 68 and 10th time shooting in the 60s in 2024-25. The senior single-round best this year is a 66 at the season-opening Dolenc Invitational in the fall. Bannister’s final round on Monday featured an eagle on the card and matched Vertanen with only a single bogey in the final 18 holes.
Junior Carter Goebel shot three over par for a 216 (71, 73, 72). It was the second week in a row that Goebel shot a 216, matching his best 54-hole total of the spring slate which he shot at last week’s Big Blue Intercollegiate. Freshman Alex Peck had another impressive week, shooting his best 54-hole score of 2024-25 with a five-over-par 218 (75, 70, 73). Peck once again set a new career-low round score with his 70 in the second round. Sophomore Hunter Reynolds shot his best 54-hole score of the spring with a 223 (73, 77, 73), two strokes off his career-best 54-hole score of 221 from the Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate in the fall. Reynolds has shot a round of 73, one off his career-low round, five times in 2024-25. Reynolds also carded an eagle in Monday’s final round. Senior Wade Worthington tallied his best 54-hole score of the 2024-25 season with a 229 (77, 75, 77).
At the Vincennes Spring Invitational at Sultan’s Run Golf Club, USI had three individuals competing in the two-round tournament. Freshman Chandler Ornelas led the way for the Screaming Eagles by tying for a top-10 finish after logging 155 (78, 77). Freshman Tye Boone shot 158 (79, 79) to finish in the top 15, and fellow freshman Coen Bauschek scored 161 (85, 76). Bauschek’s nine-stroke improvement from round one to round two led to his best single-round score of 2024-25 with 76, which was highlighted by four birdies in Monday’s round.
Next, USI Men’s Golf will make its final preparations this week before traveling to the Ohio Valley Conference Championship on April 20-23 at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The tournament will begin with stroke play before the top four teams after the final round of stroke play will battle it out in a match-play bracket for the championship.
