MEN’S GOLF

The HU men’s golf team opened up their season at the Lou Collins Memorial Tournament over the weekend.  Of the 16 teams competing at Bedford Valley Country Club, Huntington finished tied for fifth with a 618 (307-311).

After the first round, the Foresters were tied for third with a 307, nine strokes out of first to Calvin, but day two saw three teams shoot under 300 and another post a 301 much to the chagrin of Dwyer and his crew.

Vincennes transfer Luke VanDeventer led the Foresters with a seven-over-par 151 (75-76) for a share of ninth place individually out of 96 golfers and a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Colby Martin (75-80) and Carter Roseboom (78-77) were next for HU with a 155 for 27th place.

Mitchell Wilson (80-78) and Peyton Richmond (79-80) played within a stroke of each other while Brenner Lampton shot an 81 each day to finish with a 162.

“The guys fought hard, but we fell short of our goal,” said Coach Connor Dwyer. “We saw some bright spots and exposed some weaknesses. Overall I’m encouraged by the guys’ work ethic and willingness to get better. It’s one of our best finishes in a long time and they felt disappointed.

“It’s fun to see the growth we had and the development into the team we are. We have a lot of work to get to where we need to go but I know they can get there.”

Coach Dwyer was encouraged by the play of VanDeventer. “On an individual note, I’m really proud of Luke for stepping into the lineup and really playing well. It was a cool to see an all-tournament placement right out of the gate. I’m excited for what he brings to this program and I’m excited to see what he can do the rest of his career as a Forester.

Calvin claimed the tournament title with a 16-over-par 592 followed by Lourdes (605), Ohio Northern (605), Trine (607), HU (618), Ohio Northern B (618), Albion (620), Alma (620), Michigan-Dearborn (625), Westminster (630), Bluffton (632), Kalamazoo (637), Ohio Northern C (643), Olivet (661), Grace Christian (693) and Defiance (725).

Next up for HU is a JV match at the Ken Venturi Invitational on Wednesday.