Western Illinois University announced on Mar. 31 that its men’s and women’s golf teams will host the WIU Intercollegiate Tournament from April 1 to April 3 at TPC Deer Run Golf Course in Silvis, Illinois.
The event marks a homecoming for the Leathernecks, who compete in the Ohio Valley Conference according to the official website. The tournament is expected to provide both teams with an opportunity to build on recent performances as they prepare for the remainder of their spring season.
The men’s team recently finished fifth at the Keene Trace Collegiate hosted by Morehead State. After opening with a +27 team score, Western Illinois improved in the final round with a +12, finishing at +39 overall. Mateo Rascon led with a top-10 finish at +5, highlighted by an even-par second round, while Julian Ortiz also placed in the top 25. Owen Howe contributed an eagle during their strong closing stretch.
For the women’s team, each player posted steady scores across three rounds in their last competition. Sophia Thorne opened consistently while Dina Khvastovic and Cianna Law maintained solid play throughout. Libby Larkin improved her totals each round and posted her best score in the final round to secure first place individually.
Ahead of this season, preseason polls from the Ohio Valley Conference picked Western Illinois women’s golf ninth and men’s golf eleventh for upcoming conference play; Sophia Thorne and Owen Howe were named among OVC Players to Watch after strong previous seasons.
Charlton Zimmerman serves as director of golf for Western Illinois University Leathernecks Women’s Golf according to the official website. The program operates from Macomb, Illinois and participates as part of collegiate athletics within its conference per information available online.
The three-round tournament begins Wednesday morning at TPC Deer Run—a par-71 course playing over 7,500 yards—and will feature several teams including Chicago State, Indian Hills Community College, Northern Iowa, Wisconsin-Green Bay (men’s and women’s), St. Ambrose, Northeast Community College, Kansas (men’s), and Western Illinois.
