PLYMOUTH, Ind. – Many of the Vincennes University Golf team got their first look at the host of the 2025 NJCAA Division II National Championship tournament earlier this week as the Trailblazers made the trip to Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth for the 2024 Swan Lake Preview.
The Blazers faced a tough field of some of the best teams in the NJCAA and were able to overcome a slow start with a great bounce back second round to take eighth overall.
VU opened the two-day tournament with the first round being held Monday afternoon.
Vincennes was led out of the gates by a great one-over par round by freshman Brock Naile (Trico, Ill.), which left him in 15th place on the leaderboard after the first day.
Freshman Kadin Gibson (Franklin, Ind.) was close behind Naile on the leaderboard, posting an opening round 75 to hold 28th place.
Freshman Parker Steininger (Vincennes, Ind.) and sophomore Alex Nealis (Olney, Ill.) each posted a score of 81 in the first round and found themselves in 79th place overall.
Freshman Landon Gardner rounded out the VU scorers in the first round with an 86 on Monday, putting him in 91st place overall heading into the final round.
The Blazers returned to the course Tuesday for the final round of this 36-hole tournament and were able to put the first round struggles behind them, improving their team score by six shots to move up six spots in the standings to take eighth place overall.
Brock Naile again set the tone for the Trailblazers, shooting an even par 72 to close out his tournament, giving him a tournament score of 145 and a ninth place finish overall.
Kadin Gibson matched Naile’s second round score of an even par 72 to climb up the leaderboard to a 15th place finish overall.
Alex Nealis also improved on his opening round score with a 79 to take 70th place, while Parker Steininger posted another round of 81 to place 75th in the standings.
Landon Gardner closed out the day for the Trailblazers by shooting an 83 on Tuesday, giving him 89th place overall.
“We were really disappointed with our first round play in the tournament,” VU Hall of Fame Golf Coach Dennis Chattin said. “It was literally the worst round in a tournament or even a practice round that we have had all season. The good news is we played well in the second round, in fact, there were only three teams that improved their scores in the second round.”
“The course was set up tougher in the second round and the winds really picked up about half way through the round, both of which accounted for higher scores,” Chattin added.
“Brock Naile had a really good tournament, shooting one over in the first round and even par in the second round, which gave him a ninth place finish in the tournament,” Chattin said. “This was a National Championship Preview tournament, so most of the top teams in the country were there to get a look at the course that will host the National Championships next spring and for Brock to finish ninth out of 96 top players was really good.
“Also Kadin had a really good tournament with his 75, 72 scores finishing tied for 15th,” Chattin added. “We just didn’t have the additional scores to improve our team position. It was a good learning experience for hopefully a trip to the National Championship in the Spring. Our Region is really loaded with good teams, including Parkland who shot four under par as a team in the first round and then won the tournament. We will face them again Monday at the University of Illinois’ golf course in our conference, so it doesn’t get much easier.”
Freshman Matthew Mills (Boonville, Ind.) also took part in the tournament, competing as an individual to post a first round 77 and an 81 on Tuesday to take 62nd overall.
The Trailblazers will look to add to this useful experience in their next tournament as they get their first look at the host of the 2024 MWAC Conference tournament at the MWAC Fall Preview Monday, Oct. 7.
This tournament will be held at Atkins Golf Club in Urbana, Ill.
Vincennes will then hit the road again to take part in the Mineral Area Invitational Wednesday, Oct. 9 at Crowne Point Golf Club in Farmington, Mo.
