Morehead State men's golf wrapped up their final team event of the season, finishing tied for second in the OVC Men's Golf Championship, the finish marks the best finish at this event for the Eagles since 2016.
The Eagles posted the second best score of any team in round two and shot the lowest team score in round three, rallying three spots ahead to advance to match play on the final day, where they fell to UT Martin, 3-2.
"I am incredibly proud of our young men for their resilience and determination. They showed tremendous fight to make match play and battled Martin to the very end," head coach Matthew Martin said.
Fifth-year Joe Muschong claimed medalist honors at the tournament, finishing atop the leaderboard. Muschong carded rounds of 73-68-76—217 and his second round 68 was the lowest of any player in the tournament and tied for the lowest round at the OVC Men's Golf Championship under Martin.
"Joe has always been a champion. How he bounced back from a nightmare start in the final stroke play round to contribute to the team score was the definition of grit and perseverance," Martin said.
Muschong led the team in scoring average for both par 3s and 5s, and his 12 birdies during the event tied for the most of any golfer.
By virtue of claiming medalist honors, Muschong was named to the All-Tournament team and has now qualified for the NCAA Regionals for the first time in his career. "I look forward to seeing him compete in regionals," Martin added.
Freshman Nolan Piazza charged up the leaderboard in round three, moving up 16 spots to finish in the top-20, making him the biggest mover on the final day. The Canadian native had success on par 4s, leading the team with a 4.20 scoring average.
Ryan Gillum and Zac Viminitz both finished in the top-25, tying for 20th and 23rd, respectively. Gillum led the Eagles in pars with 35 and had success on par 3s, posting a 3.08 scoring average throughout the tournament. Viminitz recorded one of three eagles scored by Morehead State to help kick start their comeback and notched a match play victory against Jonathan Xoinis on Wednesday.
Cameron Travis rounded out the Eagles quintet, fashioning rounds of 73-83-80—236 and claiming a top-35 finish. Travis also scored a victory in the match play round, and finished the event with 33 pars and an eagle on the 18th hole in round two.
As a team, the Eagles led the tournament in par 3 scoring average, total pars and total eagles. Morehead State concludes their season with eight top-5 finishes, including victories at the Xavier Invitational and the Northern Kentucky match play event, and racked up five Golfer of the Week honors.
"These four seniors are special in so many ways. They have left their mark and then some on this program," Martin added.
UT Martin defeated Morehead State: 3-2-0
Garrett Chumley (UTM) def. Ryan Gillum (MOR): 1UP
Zac Viminitz (MOR) def. Jonathan Xoinis (UTM): 2UP
Cameron Travis (MOR) def. Bryson Morrell (UTM): 4&3
Jacob Uehlein (UTM) def. Nolan Piazza (MOR): 4&3
Tate Chumley (UTM) def. Joe Muschong (MOR): 1UP
By Talia Gennarelli, Morehead State Athletic Media Relations