An epic second round and a strong performance by sophomore Ryan O'Rourke helped the Hillsdale College men's golf team hold its own in its final event of the fall, the Intercollegiate at Nemacolin in Farmington, Pennsylvania, this past Monday and Tuesday.

The Chargers shot an 894 to finish sixth in a loaded nine team field that included six top 50-ranked teams in the nation. Key to Hillsdale's performance was a stellar round of 278 in the second round, played across Monday and into Tuesday, that was the best by any team in the Invitational, including the second-ranked team in the nation, North Georgia, and the fourth-ranked team in the nation, Grand Valley State.

O'Rourke led Hillsdale in that round with a scorching 5-under par 67, with seven birdies and just two bogeys. The sophomore held it steady in his other rounds, shooting a 74 in the first round and a 75 in the third, to finish with an even-par 216 and place sixth in the event. O'Rourke played well on Par 4s, shooting 1-under on the holes to finish in the top five of all players in the event in that state, and his 14 birdies were tied for second among all players behind only the medalist from Grand Valley State.

Sophomore Robert Thompson and Maxwell Burns each also went three-under in the second round. Thompson bounced back from a first round 78 to shoot 69-75 and tie for 18th for the Chargers overall, while freshman Jackson Piacsek shot a 76-73-80=229 to tie for 28th and Burns shot an 80-69-81=230 to place 30th. Freshman Aryan Sharma carded a 78-73-80=231 to tie for 32nd as well for Hillsdale.

Hillsdale now heads into winter training in solid position in the Midwest Region, sitting in the seventh or eighth spot. 10 teams from the Midwest will qualify for the NCAA DII Regional round in May after the conclusion of the spring season. The Chargers will pick back up in February looking to build off a solid start in the fall.

Photo Courtesy of Findlay Athletics