Nick Schiavi
Sophomore Nick Schiavi (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) recorded a top-20 finish to lead the Northern Illinois men’s golf team to an 11th-place team finish at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate, hosted by Indiana University.
NIU turned in a final-round 306 (+22), matching their first-round total at Wolf Run Golf Club.
The Huskies moved up a position on the Sunday leaderboard by catching IUPUI, who stood a stroke ahead of NIU after the second round. NIU finished four shots clear of 12th-place IPFW, but 12 strokes shy of 10th-place Miami. Illinois won the event, outplaying second-round leader Ohio State by 11 shots in the final round. Hoosier Brant Peaper won individual honors with a cumulative 11-under 202 for the event.
“We won our pairing today with Miami and IUPUI, but the golf course was truly the winner today,” said NIU head coach Tom Porten.
“A lot of teams saw their scores go up as the setup was very difficult today. The tees were back at the tips and many hole locations were in the corners of the greens, so you really had to work your putter today. As a team we made baby steps in our progress, we played much better and attempted to play team golf today.”
Schiavi once again led NIU with a two-over 73 on the day.
He finished at five-over 215 to place himself in a tie for 15th with Kentucky’s Stephen Powers. The finish is Schiavi’s second top-20 of his young career. The Barrington product also equaled his best performance as a Huskie, matching his 15th-place showing at last year’s Cardinal Intercollegiate.
“Nick really led us today,” Porten said. “He was two-under with five holes to go and he caught a tough break on number five, his ball rolled into a hole near the green and he ended up with a double-bogey. But Nick had a great tournament, he hit the ball well, he putted the ball well and he really managed his game today. He is learning very quickly and is the one player we have playing to his ability right now.”
Senior Griffin Bauman (Crystal Lake, Ill./Central), entering the day tied for 28th, gave back a few positions with a five-over 76. Bauman earned a tie for 31st, a couple positions below his 29th-place finish a week ago at Rich Harvest Farms.
Shawn Foley (Pewaukee, Wis./Waukesha North), Bryce Emory (Aurora, Ill./Marmion Academy), and Greg Pohlmann (Decatur, Ill./Lakeview) filled out the remaining spots on Porten’s lineup card with 63rd, 73rd, and 77th, respectively. Each moved up from their standing entering the round. NIU’s individual competitor, Nick Huggins (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta), closed the event by tallying a five-over 76 en route to a tie for 52nd.
NIU will return to action next Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 22-23) when it travels to Normal, Ill., for the D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate, hosted by Illinois State.
For more information on NIU men’s golf and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.
