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Men’s golf second at Cardinal Intercollegiate

September 28, 2011

NIU Huskies men's golfThe Northern Illinois men’s golf team wrapped up play Tuesday at the Cardinal Intercollegiate with a second-place finish.

Sophomore Shawn Foley was the highest-finishing individual for the Huskies, claiming a tie for sixth by shooting one-under for the two-day event. Foley carded a even-par 72 Tuesday.

NIU finished with a team score of 581, one stroke ahead of third-place Wisconsin and two strokes better than host Louisville and DePaul. Arkansas-Little Rock earned the tournament victory with a total score of 573.

UALR’s Nicklaus Benton claimed the individual title with a seven under total of 137.

“It was a tough day today, weather-wise,” NIU head coach Tom Porten said. “It was very windy and cool and the golf course played tricky. I thought we navigated our way around pretty well. Nick Schiavi bogeyed his first two holes and Shawn Foley went bogey-birdie-bogey-birdie, so it was an up-and-down start for us but we battled back.”

Freshman Nick Schiavi finished in a tie for 15th at one over par for the tournament with a 76 on Tuesday. Junior Bryce Emory also posted a top-20 finish as a result of his even-par 72 today; he finished two over par for the event.  Freshman Thomas Dunne carded back-to-back 74s to earn a top-30 position, finishing tied for 29th.

The Huskies were the best scoring team on the par threes during the tournament, averaging 3.03, on the shortest holes on the course. NIU was also third in the event with 29 total birdies and third with 114 total pars during the 36-hole event. Last season, the Huskies finished seven at the Cardinal Intercollegiate.

Coach (Andrew) Frame did a great job with the team on the par threes and, overall, we just played a more disciplined style of golf,” Porten said. “The kind of golf that we need to play if we want to be competitive throughout the year.”

NIU will be back in action this weekend as the Huskies travel to Normal, Ill., and the D.A. Weibring Invitational, hosted by Illinois State. The two-day event will begin on Saturday, Oct. 1, and will conclude on Sunday, Oct. 2.

For more information on NIU men’s golf and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.