The Western Illinois University men’s golf team finished seventh at the Jackrabbit Invitational, a three-round event hosted by South Dakota State in Boulder Creek, Nevada, according to a March 11 release from Leatherneck Athletic Communications.
The tournament marked the start of the spring season for the Leathernecks and featured teams from across the region. The event was played over 54 holes, with Western Illinois posting team rounds of +1, +10, and -3 for a total score of +8. Mateo Rascon led the team with an impressive opening round of 65 (-7), which was noted as one of the top three best rounds in program history. Julian Ortiz also contributed with a final round of 68 (-4), helping secure the team’s best round on day three.
Rascon finished tied for eighth at -2 overall, while Ortiz tied for twenty-fourth at +2. Other contributors included Easton Korell (+7, T40), Owen Howe (+9, T50), Nathan Tillman (+17, 61st), and Bayden Hubacher (+33, T69). “Mateo Rascon made a mark with the Leathernecks as one of the recorded one of the top 3 best rounds in program history. The last round for WIU was also one of the best in years for the team,” said Emma Hicken from Leatherneck Athletic Communications.
Western Illinois University Leathernecks Men’s Golf participates at the NCAA Division I level and hosts events like the WIU Intercollegiate, according to the official website. The program maintains membership in the Ohio Valley Conference and operates within Western Illinois University’s intercollegiate athletics framework as reported by its official site. The team serves as a collegiate athletics program competing in men’s golf and uses Harry Mussatto Golf Course as its home facility according to university sources. Alumni such as Wyatt Spier and Andrew Blackburn have excelled both athletically and academically within this program.
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