The Western Illinois University Leathernecks Men’s Golf team will begin its spring season at the Jackrabbit Invitational, scheduled for March 9-10 in Boulder City, Nevada. The event will be held at the Boulder Creek Golf Course, a par 72 course measuring 6,964 yards. The tournament consists of two rounds, with the first round on Monday and the second on Tuesday.
The Leathernecks return three players from last year’s roster. Bayden Hubacher and Nathan Tillman are among those returning, both having participated in all four events last season. Mateo Rascon, from Burlington, Iowa, also returns after playing in all four events last year and tying for 18th place at the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Championships. Owen Howe of Johnston, Iowa is back as well; he tied for 38th at the OVC Championships. Maverick Schwabe returns to the team after finishing 29th at the same event.
New additions to the team include Easton Korell from New Sharon, Iowa. Korell previously placed first at the Western Iowa Junior Open with River Valley Golf Club. Julian Ramon Ortiz joins from San Luis PotosÃ, Mexico.
Competing teams at this year’s Jackrabbit Invitational include Southern Utah, Youngstown State, Morehead State, University of North Dakota, Missouri State, Kansas City, South Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and IUIndy.
Western Illinois University Leathernecks Men’s Golf competes at the NCAA Division I level and is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (official website). The program operates within Western Illinois University’s intercollegiate athletics framework and regularly hosts events such as the WIU Intercollegiate (official website). Over recent years, alumni have earned academic honors and achieved strong performances in tournaments like the Windy City Classic Invitational (official website).
