BECKER, Minn. – The University of Northwestern Men's Golf team got a good look at an important venue on Thursday, taking part in the UMAC Preview Tournament at Pebble Creek Golf Club. The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference created the event to give its member teams a chance to play the course they will compete for a conference championship at in October. If Thursday's results are any indication, the Eagles should be firmly in the mix for a conference crown, as they tied UW-Superior for the team win with a score of 300 (+12) and notched an individual medalist win as well.
Jakob Swanson (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) found himself atop the leaderboard with a score of 72 (E) after birdies on holes 15 and 18 helped him close with a back-nine 34 to tie for the win, then outlasted his Yellowjacket counterpart to win in a playoff.
Luke Frazell (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock) had another fantastic showing as well, making three birdies en route to a score of 73 (+1) and a tie for third.
Carson Besonen (Madison, Minn./Lac qui Parle Valley) bounced back from a tough weekend in Wisconsin to shoot 75 (+3) and tie for eighth thanks to three birdies.
Carter Dilly (Henning, Minn./Henning) and
Shane Seiffert (Corcoran, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) tied for 18
th with matching 80's (+8) to conclude Northwestern's team scoring, with the latter logging a pair of birdies.
In addition to the five Eagles that made up UNW's scoring team,
Billy Aune also brought four more players to play as individuals.
Carson Mersberger (Kiel, Wis./Elkhart Lake-Glenbeaulah), who was Northwestern's top finisher at the UMAC Championship last season, made three birdies and tied for 13
th with a 77 (+5).
Jackson Courteau (Otsego, Minn./Rogers) used a pair of back-nine birdies to shoot 81 (+9) and finish in a tie for 22
nd, while
Noah Frazell (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock) used birdies on eight and 10 to card an 83 (+11).
Carson Moscoso (Maple Grove, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy) birdied the second hole and shot an 85 (+13).
The Eagles will make their way to Huntley, Illinois this weekend to play in the NCCAA North Central Regional on Monday and Tuesday as they attempt to qualify for this fall's NCCAA National Championship.
