The men’s golf team kicked off the spring season with a tournament this past Wednesday, March 25. Midland University hosted the Midland Spring Invite at the Pines Country Club in Fremont, Nebraska.
The Raiders were one of 11 teams competing at the invite, and they put forth a strong showing. In addition to the returning upperclassmen, the youth of the team proved to be instrumental in the team’s robust performance.
Freshman Justin Kraft led the team with an individual top-five performance. He recorded a one-over par with a 73, tying for third with three other golfers.
Out of the 11 teams participating in the tournament, Northwestern managed to tie for third with Northeast Community College.
Along with Kraft, three other freshmen competed for NW. Evan Schuler scored a 77 (+5), which tied him for 12th place. Colton Kooima tied for 30th with an 82 (+10), and Luke Meyer tied for 58th with a 92 (+20).
“There was definitely some winter rust left over,” Schuler said. “But overall it wasn’t a bad meet for our first competition of the spring.”
The team wasn’t sure how the invite would go, but the course was in good shape, and although it was cold, the team posted decent scores.
Their last competition was back in October, when the team played in the William Penn Open on October 10 and 11.
“I started out pretty slow, but I hit a few birdies later on to bring my score back down,” Schuler said. “I think I played better than I did in the fall, so I was happy about that.”
The Raider’s spring season will continue with the third GPAC Qualifier in Sioux City, Iowa on April 7.
Freshman Colton Kooima tees off during the Midland Spring Invite on Wednesday, March 25.