Zach Anderson

Despite a pair of top-25 finishes from Geoff Mead and Trent Peterson, the SDSU men’s golf team slipped to a 12th place finish in the 14-team Larry Nelson Collegiate Invitational played at the Woodlands course of the Chateau Elan Resort on April 1, 2008 located in Kennesaw, Ga., in non-League play

Host Kennesaw State won the team title by 22 strokes over Campbell (N.C.), 878-900. The Jackrabbits finished the 54-hole tournament with a 940 team total.

Individually, SDSU’s Geoff Mead and Trent Peterson finished tied for 22nd with three other players at 231. Jacksonville University’s Matt Kleinrock, Nicholls State University’s James Terrebonne and Belmont University’s Scott O’Brien also recorded scores of 231 in the five-way tie for 22nd.

The rest of the Jackrabbits finished in the lower third of the 70-player field: Justin Jenkins tied for 59th at 247; James Green tied for 61st with 248; and Kyle Vandevoort tied for 64th with a score of 251.

In Braselton, Ga., the Jackrabbits women’s golf team finished 16 out of the 17 teams in the Larry Nelson Collegiate Invitational. The Jackrabbits finished with a 54-hole team score of 1,016 after finishing their final 18 holes with a 345 team total. Tennessee-Chattanooga won the meet by three strokes over South Alabama, 928-931.

Individually, SDSU’s top two players were separated by one stroke. Holly Opatz led the way, finishing in a tie for 59th place out of 85 players with a three-round total of 253. Freshman Hillary Gerster was next at 254, placing in a tie for 65th place.

“Both the men’s and women’s teams played really inconsistent at the Larry Nelson,” said SDSU coach Jared Baszler. “For the most part we played well but some big numbers hurt our team scores. While frustrating, it is somewhat understandable this early in the spring season.”

In Macomb, Ill., Peterson finished first place individually while helping the SDSU men to a third-place finish on April 5, 2008 in the Beu/Mussato Invitational. Peterson finished with a score of 216, just edging out Parkland Community College’s Michael Davan, who scored a 218.

“Trent played some very solid golf on route to his medalist finish,” said Baszler. “His second-round 70 tied the low round for the entire tournament, and his 72 the final round gave him the cushion he needed to win by 2 strokes. That is our second time this year someone has achieved medalist honors. Next, we have to have the entire team put it together so we can bring home a team title.”

Host Western Illinois won the 17-team event with a team total of 885, Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College finished second with a total of 903 and SDSU had a total of 913.

Vandevoort, playing unattached, had a total of 228. Mead tied for 18th with a score of 230, with Green Bay’s Braden Mork and Indian Hill Community College’s Eric Anfinson.