A difficult first two rounds on Monday put the Hillsdale College golf team in a difficult position, but the Chargers rallied with a strong final round to jump up four spots in the standings and tie for 13th at the season opening Midwest/Central Regional Preview on Tuesday.

Hillsdale shot a six-over 290, tied for the fourth best score in the final round among the 18-team field, to leap out of 17th place and salvage the opener for the Chargers in an event played at The Meadows at Grand Valley State in Allendale, Michigan.

Senior Oliver Marshall and sophomore Parker Stalcup played the final 18 holes in one-over 72, with Marshall shooting birdie on three holes and Stalcup recording four birdies. Sophomore John Cassiday carded a two-over 73 as well and freshman Anthony Stouder shot a 73 as well to give Hillsdale four solid scores in the championship round.

Hillsdale had to rally from a challenging performance on Monday. The Chargers shot a 29-over 313 and a 13-over 297 in the first two rounds to sit in 17th place entering Tuesday's final round, but thanks to the 290, Hillsdale was able to pass Missouri S&T, Tiffin and Winona State.in the final round.

Marshall, Stalcup and Cassiday all tied for the individual lead for the Chargers, finishing 54th. Marshall shot a 78-76-72=226, Stalcup carded 77-77-72 to get to 226, and Cassiday was 80-73-73=226 for Hillsdale.

Jackson Piacsek was the only Hillsdale player to shoot par for the two-day tournament, carding a 71 in the second round, and finished tied for 66th with a 79-71-78=228, while Stouder, the freshman, shot a 79-79-73=231 to tie for 79th.

Playing as an individual in his first collegiate match for the Chargers, Roman Damkoehler shot an 83-80-79=242 to finish 106th as well.

The late-round surge was important for Hillsdale in a field that included many of the teams that will expect to be back at The Meadows in May for the NCAA DII Central/Midwest Regional. There's a lot of golf to be played between now and then, and Hillsdale will look to make big improvements heading into its second event of the fall next Monday and Tuesday, the UIndy Invitational, on Sept. 21 and 22 at Broadmoor Country Club in Indianapolis.