Tied for 10th place out of 15 teams may not look great on paper, but head coach Mike Fleck said Ball State University's finish at the Indiana/Wolf Run Intercollegiate in Zionsville is encouraging. A field consisting of nationally recognized teams such as Penn State University, Indiana University, University of Michigan, and University of Kentucky, Ball State played against some of the toughest opponents they will see all year.
With a team score of 896, the Cardinals finished 44-over-par, and 34 strokes off the lead in the 54-hole tournament.
"Surprisingly it was actually encouraging," Fleck said. "We had another good effort tournament. We really went out there and fought and did a good job from an effort standpoint."
Sophomore Ross Cosat led all Cardinals finishing tied for 19th overall individually. Cosat shot a team-low 69 in the second-round, carding a final score of 219. Unlike last week with three Cardinals finishing in the top ten, no players finished higher than Cosat's 19th place finish.
In addition to competing against nationally known teams, Ball State played alongside Mid-American Conference rivals Eastern Michigan University, Kent State University, and the University of Toledo. Also, Ball State beat nationally ranked Northwestern University, who placed 13th.
"It was probably the most challenging golf course we will see all year, and one of the best fields we will compete against all year," Fleck said. You look at the teams we are playing and the field consists of Big Ten schools, SEC [Southeastern Conference] schools, and ACC [Atlantic Coast Conference] schools. All these teams have played in the NCAA Championships. It was definitely a competitive event."
While the Cardinals didn't perform as good as last weeks fourth place finish, Fleck said he has a lot to take away from the tournament.
"We beat some very good teams, and from my perspective that was encouraging," Fleck said. "Tying 10th out of 15 teams is not as good as the last few weeks, but you have to tie in the competition and the golf course."
Junior Brian Maurer, who finished eighth individually last week, placed tied for 64th overall. Similar to Fleck however, Maurer said he was still encouraged by the team's performance.
"It was definitely a great experience in playing some of the best teams in the region," Maurer said. " Anytime we can get out there with the national field and put up a respectable showing is encouraging. It's not where we want to be, but we proved to ourselves we can compete at that kind of level."
Although Fleck's players weren't satisfied with the finish, Fleck said his players understood the field was competitive.
"I know my guys were disappointed in how we performed, but the good thing is that they are hungry and successful," Fleck said. "We are making progress and we are moving forward."
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