SIOUX FALLS – With plenty of momentum, the University of Sioux Falls Men's Golf Team, which has had three top-four finishes in four meets this spring, will look to continue their strong performance at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championships on April 18-20 at Shoal Creek Golf Course in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday through Saturday, April 18-20.

The 54-hole championship will start with 9 a.m., tee-times on April 18-19 and a 9 a.m., shotgun start on the final round on Saturday, April 20.  Live scoring and results www.NorthernSun.org/NSICMGolf.

"The team can't wait to get back to Shoal Creek for the championship and build off the momentum we had over the last month or so. We feel like it's a course that we can plot out and execute well. As always, there is other factors that we will need to strategize for but I feel confident in our ability to compete and put ourselves in position to be right there with any other team," said USF Director of Men's and Women's Golf Sam Vosler, whose team was eighth a year ago at the NSIC Championships. "It's going to take three consistent days from the team to reach our goal. The guys know they have to be focused and step up but they also know that there will be a lot of golf to be played with the 54-hole event. The focus is to be more process driven and take it shot-by-shot managing the peaks and valleys of emotions that will absolutely be present in each of their rounds," said Vosler, who team ranks fourth in the NSIC with a 305.4 per round average.

The winner of the NSIC Men's Golf Championship will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Central/Midwest Regional, which will be played at Hot Springs Country Club, Arlington Course in Hot Springs, Arkansas on May 9-11.  The NCAA Championships will be held May 21-25 at The Resort at Glade Springs, Cobb Course in Daniels, West Virginia, hosted by the Mountain East Conference.

USF Men's Team accumulates three top five finishes this spring
USF has had had four top-10 finishes this spring and won the Polar Vortex Triangular in Scottsdale, Ariz., with a round 316. After finishing 9^th (910-299-306-305) at the highly competitive Lindenwood Invitational in St Charles, Mo., USF was third at the Upper Iowa Invite (616 – 326-290) and fourth (594 – 299-295) at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preview at the Shoal Creek Golf Course in April 5-6. In the last three meets, USF has had a program-best three straight rounds under 300 at 290 (Upper Iowa Invite) and 299 and 295 (NSIC Preview). The round of 290 is tied for the second-best round ever by USF at the DII level, matching that the 290 in the third round (307-304-290-297-1198) at the NSIC Championships on April 11-12, 2015. USF's best ever round was a 289 at the Jackrabbit Invite in 2013-14.
 
"The team is excited for this opportunity. I like this team and how they have progressed throughout the season. I believe in their ability to compete and fight for every stroke," said Vosler.

Cooney and Zosel claim top-10 finishes at 2018 Championship
A year ago, USF finished eighth as USF had top-10 individual finishes from JJ Cooney and Jacob Zosel. Cooney finished sixth overall and Zosel was tied for ninth as both shot a 1-over par round of 73 in the final round.  Cooney, who was named first team All-NSIC, finished at eight over par 224 (76-75-73) as he showed improvement by each round. Zosel carded a 10-over part 226 (79-74-73) as he finished strong with a 147 over the final two rounds when he averaged 73.5. With the top 10 finishes, USF had two in the top 10 for the second time at the NSIC Championships as Jon Van't Hul and Derek Dillon tied for 10^th at the 2015 championships. Also for USF Brenden Bassing finished at 22-over par 238 (79-80-79) while Blake Berry shot a 28-over part 244 (73-83-82) and Jake Oetzmann was 31 over at 247 (84-84-79).

USF's shoots three straight sub-300 rounds for first time and drops average to 305.4
After its performance at the NSIC Preview, USF has a put together a per round average of 305.47 which includes 17 rounds and eight competitions. So far this year, USF has had two individuals place in the top six (Jacob Zosel and JJ Cooney) and 11 players finish in the top 10 at various meets. USF also has had four top-seven finishes as a team. They finished fourth at the Augustana Invitational after carding a team total of 606 (302-304) on Sept. 29-30. Cooney captured sixth place with a 149 (73-76) while both junior Brenden Bassing (75-75-150) and freshman Jack Evans (76-74-150) finished ninth as the Cougars placed three in the top-10 individually.

USF was also seventh at the Bemidji State Invitational on Sept. 10-11. At the BSU competition, USF had its season-best two round total of 605 (294-311). In the opening round at BSU Invite, Jacob Zosel had a career-best finish of second place with his career-best opening round of 69 and, with a second round of 75, finished with a 144 total. However freshman Jack Evans matched his 69 in the second round of the UIU invite as he tied for eighth at 153 (84-69). JJ Cooney (80-73) and Jacob Zosel
  
USF Men's Team win Polar Vortex Triangular
Led by junior JJ Cooney, USF won the Polar Vortex Triangular held at the McCormick Ranch Golf Club on March 8. USF finished one shot ahead of Minnesota State with a 28-over par total of 316. MSU was second at 317 followed by host school Concordia St. Paul at 320. In his best finish this season, Cooney finished second with a three-over par 75 and USF earn its first team title of the season. He finished two strokes off the lead of Taylor Zack of Concordia St. Paul, who carded a one-over par 73.  USF placed six players in the top 11. Also for USF, sophomore Jacob Zosel scored a seven-over par 79 to tie for sixth. Freshman Jack Evans and sophomore Jake Oetzmann finished tied for eighth with an eight-over par total of 80. Both junior Brendan Bassing and junior Blake Berry carded a 10-over par rounds of 82 and tied with CSP's Nick Navarro for 11^th. Freshman Nathan Woodall finished in a three-way tie for 14^th with a 1-over par round of 83. USF also had an 18^th place showing by freshman Hank Eggebraaten with a 12-over par total of 84.

Cooney leads USF to ninth place finish at Lindenwood Invite
Led by JJ Cooney's consistent performance through 54 holes, USF claimed ninth in the team standings at the Lindenwood Invitational on March 26. Cooney moved up five spots from the opening day to finish 12^th by carding a three-round total of 220 (75-74-71). In shooting an even-par 71 in the third round, Cooney had his second best round of the season. He improved his score in each of his three rounds by opening with a 75 and then carding a 74 in round two and 71 in the final round. Cooney now has 10 rounds of 75 or better this year.   With Cooney's consistent play and solid play throughout the lineup, USF finished tied for nine with Missouri Baptist as both schools finished at 910. USF, which was among 19 teams at the tourney, opened with a 299 and then had scores of 306 and 305. The Cougars had its top three-round total and bettered the mark of 921 at the MSSU Invitational on Sept. 24-25, 2018 at Sangri-La Country Club at Monkey Island, Okla. With 104 golfers competing, USF has four in the top 52. Junior Brenden Bassing closed with a 75 and had a three-round total of 19 over par 232 (77-80-75). With the 75, he had his best round of the tourney and moved up nine spots with his day two five-shot improvement. Sophomore Jacob Zosel also was tied for 44^th after carding a final round of 78. He finished at 19 over par 232 (72-82-78). Freshman Jack Evans, who tied for 10^th after the first day of competition, finished at 21 over par total of 234 (75-70-89). Also for USF, junior Blake Berry carded a three-round total of 32 over par and 245 (78-86-81). Berry, who was tied for 79^th, improved by five shots from his second round.  Sophomore Jake Oetzman moved up two spots to 93^rd and finished with a 38-over par 251 (87-85-79). He had a six shot improvement from his second round and eight shots better than his opening round.  

USF finishes third at the UIU Invite
Led by the play of freshman Jack Evans, sophomore Jacob Zosel, and junior JJ Cooney, the University of Sioux Falls Men's Golf Team made significant improvement and jumped up two spots with a third place team finish at the Upper Iowa Invitational which concluded Sunday at the Prairie Links Golf Club.  For the second time in three competitions, USF placed third or higher as a team. On the par 72, 6,614-yard course, USF finished at 40 over par with a two-round total of 616 (326-290). But after carding a 326 on  best round on Sunday with a season-best and tied for the program's second-lowest round at the DII level of 290, just two shots over par as a team. Upper Iowa, which won the tourney with a 28 over par 605 (316-288), had an even total of 288 on Sunday. Minnesota State was second overall with a 29 over par total of 605 (313-292). USF was third followed by St. Cloud State at 46 over par at 622 (317-305) and then Bemidji State at 51 over par at 627 (319-308) and Augustana at 62 over par at 638 (334-304).   Evans, who was 23^rd after day one, jumped up 15 spots as he shot a career-best three-under par 69 and finished at 153 (84-69). Evans, who opened at 83, had a previous high of 70 in the second round of the Lindenwood Invitational on March 25. The round by Evans ties a season-best for USF with Zosel, who had a 69 at the BSU Invitational (first round) on Sept. 10, 2018.

After opening with an 83 on Saturday, Zosel carded a two-under par 70 to also finish at 153 (83-70) and work himself into a tie for eighth overall. He was just one shot over his season-best round.

Cooney, who was 10^th after the first round, finished in a tie with eighth place with five others including Zosel and Evans. Cooney finished at 153 (80-73) with rounds of 80 and 73 as he came in nine over par.

Individual Notes
JJ Cooney ranks sixth in the NSIC with a per round average of 74.47 with 1,266 shots on 17 rounds. He finished a season best second at the Polar Vortex Triangular on March 8 in Scottsdale, Ariz. Cooney is a two-time All-NSIC honoree and the first-ever men's golfer at USF named first team all-league in 2018. In his career Cooney has had 13 top-10 finishes and a sixth-place finish at the NSIC Championships in April, 2018.

Cooney's career-best round was a 68 as a freshman at the Upper Iowa Spring Invite (fifth – 168 – 68-84) on April 1-2, 2017. He fashioned a round of 69 in the third round of the MSSU Fall Invite on Sept. 26-27, 2016 when, as a freshman, he had a three-round total of 222 (73-80-69). In the spring portion of the season, Cooney posted top-10 finishes in all four tournaments that culminated in his sixth-place score at the NSIC Championships, which is the highest finish for a USF golfer in six years as members of the league. Cooney's final round 73 at the NSIC Championships was tied for the low round of the day and tied for the sixth-lowest of the tournament. Cooney ended the season ranked 25th in the GolfStat central region 'score vs. par' rankings, sixth among NSIC golfers, and his adjusted score for course and competition was rated 24th in the central region. In his sophomore season, Cooney carded two rounds at-or-below par and nine rounds at 1-over-par or better. This year, he has placed top 10 three times which includes a tie for 10^th at the highly competitive NSIC Preview Invitational on April 5-6 in Kansas City when he opened with a 70 and finished at 145 (70-75). He had a second place finish (75, Polar Vortex Triangular) going with a sixth-place finish at the Augustana Invitational when he had a 149 (73-76). His best round of the year was a 70 in the third round of the MSSU Fall Invite when he carded a season-best three-round total of 216 with scores of 74-72-70. He shot a career-best two-round total of 145 (71-74) at the BSU Invite on Sept. 10-11, 2017. At the Lindenwood Invite, he carded a three-round total of 220 with the 75-74-71 three rounds performance. He then finished eighth with a 153 (80-73) at the Upper Iowa Invite. Ten times this season, he has had a 75 or more round.

In 17 rounds this season, freshman Jack Evans has a 77.71 per round average with 1,321 shots. He shot a career-low 69 at the Upper Iowa Invite last week when he was tied for eighth at 153 (84-69). Just a week prior to that, he had shot a round of 70 at the Lindenwood Invite when he opened with a 74 and carded a 70 in the second round before finishing with an 89 for a three-round total of 234 which placed him 52^nd. It was the best three-round total of his freshman season. He had a career-best two-round total of 150 (76-74) as he finished ninth at the Augustana Invitational. He was also eighth at the Polar Vortex Triangular with his 80 placing eighth among 21 golfers.

At the 2018 NSIC Championships sophomore Jacob Zosel carded a 10-over 226 (79-74-73) for ninth place and gave USF two top-10 finishes (Cooney, 6^th) for the second time at the NSIC Championships. In 2018-19, Zosel had a career-best second-place finish and career-best two-round total of 144 (69-75), at the Bemidji State Invitational. Zosel finished with his highest placing ever and his second career top-10 finish. After opening with a career-best 69 in the first round, Zosel finished with a 75 as he finished in a tie with four others for second and just two strokes off the lead.  He had a career-low 71 at the BSU Invite on Sept. 11-12, 2017 when he finished at 146 (71-75).  Through 13 rounds this season, he has 1,163 shots for a round average of 77.53. At the LIndenwood Invite, he finished in 232 (72-82-78), which was hit best three-round total of the year. Last week at the Upper Iowa Invite, he finished tied for eighth after carding a two-round total of 153, after opening with an 83, he shot a two-under par 70, which was his low round of the season. Most recently, Zozel  placed 27^th at the NSIC Preview Invitational by carding a 151 (78-73), which was his second best total of the season.

Junior Brenden Bassing has shot 17 rounds with a 1,314 shots for a 77.29 average. In the most recent competition, he had the second-best performance of his career with a 144 (74-70) and placed a season-best sixth at the NSIC Preview Invitational at the Shoal Creek Golf Course in Kansas City, Mo. He placed 44^th of 104 golfers at the Lindenwood Invite with a 232 (77-80-75). Most recently, he carded a 158 (79-79) and finished tied for 16^th. He has one top-10 finish in 2018-19 as he was tied for ninth at the Augustana Invitational after carding a 150 (75-75). He has a low round of 73 (73-82-155) on Sept. 10, 2018 at the BSU Invitational. Bassing has a career-best round (second round) of 68 (73-68-141) when he carded a career-best 141 at the BSU Invite on Sept. 11-12.  Five times he has shot a round of 72 or better in his career.

Junior Blake Berry has 14 rounds and totaled 1,140 shots for an 81.43 per round average. He has a best placement of 11^th at the Polar Vortex Triangular when he carded an 82. At the Augustana Invitational on Sept. 29-30, 2018, he carded his career-best two-round total of 159 (79-80). Berry had his best career round of 75 (75-80-83-238) in the opening round of the Holiday Inn Express Classic on Oct. 9-10, 2017. On March 25-26, he had a three-round total of 245 (78-86-81) at the Lindenwood Invitational. At the Upper Iowa Invite, he had a 169 (91-78). He had his top performance this spring at the NSIC Preview Invitational when he carded a 163 with rounds of 86 and 77. The 77 was a season-best for the junior.

Freshman Hank Eggebraaten carded his career-best two-round total of 157 (79-78) at the Augustana Invitational on Sept. 29-30, 2018 when he placed 26^th of 52 golfers. He shot a career-low 78 in the second round of that tourney. He has his best placement of 18^th at the Polar Vortex Triangular on March 8 when he carded an 84. Through five rounds this season, he has 408 shots and a per round average of 81.60. Most recently he had a 167 (86-81) and finished 87^th at the NSIC Preview Invitational in Kansas City.

Sophomore Jake Oetzmann has shot 10 rounds and 804 shots for an average round of 80.40. He placed eighth at the Polar Vortex Triangular on March 8 with a round of 80. He carded his career-low two-round total of 150 (75-75) at the NSIC Preview Invitational on April 5-6 in Kansas City. With 75 in both rounds of the preview meet Oetzmann set a career best for a round.    

Freshman Nathan Woodall has shot 10 rounds with 797 shots and a 79.70 per round average. He has a career-low two round total of 157 (76-81) at the BSU Invitational on Sept. 10, 2018. At that meet, he had an opening round of 76 which is the second best best of his eight rounds in his first campaign at USF. With an 83, he placed in a tie for 14^th at the Polar Vortex Triangular on March 8 for his top placement overall at a meet. At the NSIC Preview Meet in Kansas City on April 5-6, he carded a 75, which is a career-best total.