SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – With a team title and four total top seven team placings last fall, the University of Sioux Falls Men's Golf Team, will open the spring campaign with significant momentum as they compete at the Warrior Vegas Invite on Monday, March 9 and Tuesday, March 10 at Stallion Mountain in Las Vegas, Nev. 

Fans can follow along with results at USF_Athletics twitter or at USFCougars.com where results will be posted following each day of competition. 

The USF Men's Team, directed by Head Coach Tavia Rutherford, will play two rounds of 18 holes on Monday and Tuesday.   As a team, USF has a 298.18 stroke average, which ranks fourth in the NSIC. 

The Cougars, which finished fifth in the NSIC Championship in 2019, had a strong fall campaign.  USF had a third place finish at the Watkins Invite as JJ Cooney carded a program-best 140 (71-69) and won a two-hole playoff for his first title. At that season-opening tourney, USF started strong by carding a DII program-best two-round total of 583. 

Later USF tied for sixth at the Bemidji State Invitational. USF was tied for 14th at the Missouri Southern State Invite before they captured their first team title since last March (Polar Vortex Invite) as Jacob Zosel won medalist honors to lead the Cougars to a 591 (300-291) at the Augustana Invite and a seven-shot win over the host school Augustana. 

USF closed the fall by placing seventh at the Missouri Western Holiday Inn Express Invite in St. Joseph, Mo. At that meet the Cougars carded sub-300 rounds three straight rounds for the first time in the DII program era.
 
Individual Notes - Three-time All-NSIC golfer JJ Cooney ranks 9th in NSIC

Senior JJ  Cooney, who has become USF's first-ever three-time All-NSIC honoree, ranks ninth in the NSIC in stroke average at 73.82. In 11 rounds, he has 812 shots with a low round of 69 at the Watkins Invite, when he established a D2 program-best 140 (71-69). He won the Watkins Invite for his first title. Of his 11 rounds, 10 have been 75 or lower. Three times he shot a 71 or lower including the second round at the MSSU Fall Invite when he carded a 145 (75-70) and was tied for 25^th. He also finished ninth at the Augustana Invite with a two-round 149 (75-74).
 
Sophomore Jack Evans ranks 11^th in the NSIC and second on USF wit ha 73.91 stroke average. In 11 rounds, he has 813 shots with a low round of 70 at the Watkins Invitational on Sept. 7 and he also had a 70 in round three at the Holiday Inn Express Classic on Oct. 7-8. In that fall-closing tourney, he carded a 218 with rounds of 75-73-70 and placed 15th. He has a pair of top-10 finishes with one in the top five. At the Watkins Invitational, he shot a season-best 145 with rounds of 75-70 to tied for 9^th. He has 11 rounds of 77 or better with seven rounds of 75 or lower. He has carded a 73 or lower five times. In his second best round of the season, he had a 148 with rounds of 77-71.
 
Junior Jacob Zosel has a 75.55 stroke average for third in the team. He has had two top 10 and one top-five finishes. In 11 rounds, Zosel has shot 831 shots and has a low round of 72. He won thee Augustana Invite medalist honors with a season-best two-round total of 146 as he opened with a season-best 72 and finished at 74 to capture the  tourney and help the Cougars to a team title. Like Evans, he had a solid performance to close the fall with his 219 placing him 21^st among 80 golfers. He opened at 73 and followed up with a 74 and tied his season-best round of 72 in round three. Seven times, he has carded a round of 75 or lower.
 
Senior Brenden Bassing ranks fourth on the team with a 76.09 stroke average. He has a top-five finish as he has shot 11 rounds with 837 shots. His season-best round is 72 at the Augustana Invite. Bassing placed third at the Augustana Invite with his season-best two-round total of 148 as he opened with a 76 and closed with a season-best 72. In his final match of the fall, he was 31^st but showed tremendous consistency with rounds of 74, 74 and 75. Six times this fall he shot a round of 75 or lower.
 
Senior Blake Berry has also had a solid fall campaign with a stroke average of 77.09. He had 11 rounds with 848 shots and a low round of 72, which he carded in the opening tournament (Watkins Invite) when he had a season-best 147 with rounds of 75 and 72 to place in a tie for 16rh. Five times he has had a round of 75 or lower.
 
Sophomore Nathan Woodall has shot six rounds with a 78.50 stroke average on 471 shots. He has a season-best 73 in the second round of the Watkins Invite. In that opening tourney in September, he carded his best two-round total of 148 (75-73) and placed a season-best 20^th.
 
Junior Jake Oetzmann has shot two rounds and carded a 158 with a low round of 75 as he has a 79.0 stroke average. Junior Bronson Vasa shot a two-round total of 161 in his only tournament as he finished tied for 29^th at the Augustana Invite. He had a low round of 79 in the opening round. Sophomore Hank Eggebraaten has shot four rounds with 326 shots for an 81.50 stroke average. Eggebraaten had his best round of 74 in the second round at the MSSU Fall Invite on Sept. 24. His best two-round total was a 157 at the Augustana Invite as he carded rounds of 81 and 76 to place 22^nd overall.
 
Season Review
 
By recording its second best round of the season at 291, USF moved up five spots and finished in a tie for seventh (887) in the team standings at the Missouri Western State Holiday Inn Express Invite at the St. Joseph (Mo.) Country Club which concluded Tuesday (Oct. 8).  With this competition, USF concluded its fall men's golf schedule. For the first time in the program's DII era, USF carded three consecutive sub-300 rounds in the same tournament.  USF, which tied with Northeastern State (297-287-303) and Rogers State (289-299-299), carded rounds of 297, 299 and 291 for a 54-hole total of 887. After the first two rounds, USF sat at 596 and in 12^th place but the Cougars stepped it up on Tuesday. Led by medalist Matt Hoeman (211/67-74-70), Central Missouri captured the team title with a final total of 857 (277-289-291). Washburn was second at 862 (284-286-292).

Led by a round of 70 from sophomore Jack Evans, four of USF's five golfers carded rounds of 75 or lower as the Cougars tied team champ Central Missouri for the best final round of 291. Junior Jacob Zosel had a 72 while senior Brenden Bassing was at 75 and senior JJ Cooney at 74. The other member of the contingent, senior Blake Berry, finished with a third round of 81. Evans finished with a team-best 218 after rounds of 75-73-70 placed him in a tie for 15^th. He moved up from a tie at 38^th into the top 20 with the round of 70, which is tied for the second best of his career. In the final round, Evans had five birdies (holes 1, 2, 10, 13 and 17) as he finished accumulated eight birdies and 33 pars in the tourney. After winning the Augustana Invitational last week, junior Jacob Zosel continued his sizzling play. He had rounds of 73, 74 and 72 to finished 21^st at 219, just a shot behind Evans. He moved up 13 spots on the individual leader board after recording birdies on holes two and eight and registering 13 pars. Zosel finished with 36 pars and nine birdies. USF senior Brenden Bassing also had a consistent three rounds of golf with total of 74, 74 and 75 to finish at 223 and a tie for 32^nd. On Tuesday, he had birdies on holes six and 15 and added 10 pars. Overall, Bassing had eight birdies with 29 pars. Senior JJ Cooney moved up 23 spots and finished in a tie for 50^th place among individual. After rounds of 75 and 79, he closed with a 74 for a total score of 228. Cooney had a birdie on hole 18 and added 14 pars. He finished two birdies and a team-high 39 pars. Also for USF. Senior Blake Berry carried a 234 with rounds of 75, 78 and 81. Today, he had a birdie on hole 17 and eight pars as he finished the tournament with three birdies and 32 pars. Through the three rounds, the USF Men's Team was consistent with the five team members scoring from 218 to 234 while recording 169 pars and 30 birdies.

Zosel wins first medalist honors and USF captures Augustana Invitational
Junior Jacob Zosel carded a season-best two-round total of 146 (72-74) to win medalist honors and lead USF to a team title at the Augustana Invitational, which concluded on Sept. 29 at the Elmwood Golf Course. USF won the Augustana Invitational for the first time and captured the program's first team title since winning the Polar Vortex Triangular in Scottsdale, Ariz., on March 8, 2019. Zosel of Morris, Minn., captured his first-ever medalist honors with the second-best performance of his career. He led four USF men's team golfers into the top 10 as the Cougars finished with a 15-over par total of 591 (300-291), which is the second-best two-round total in USF's DII program history. The Cougars shot a 583 (298-285) at the Watkins Invitational on Sept. 6-7 at The Jewel in Lake City, Minn. USF finished six shots ahead of host Augustana, which carded a 21-over par 597 (311-286). Missouri Southern State was third at 27-over par, 603. With a season-best opening round of 72 and a 74 on day two, Zosel finished with a two-over par two-round total of 146. He nearly met his career mar of 144 (69-75) in which he tied for second at the BSU Invite on Sept. 20, 2018.

Aside from Zosel, two USF golfers finishing tied for third in senior Brenden Bassing and sophomore Jack Evans. With his four-over par 148 (76-72), Bassing opened with a 76 before closing with an even par round of 72. He carded his best-two round total and the 72 today is his best round of the season. As for Evans, he had a four-over par total of 148 (77-71). After opening at 77 on day one, Evans caught fire today with his one-under round of 71.

Also in the top 10 for USF was senior JJ Cooney, who continued his consistent play. He finished at five-over par with a two-round total of 149 (75-74). In eight rounds this season, Cooney has kept his score at 75 or lower. Senior Blake Berry also had a solid performance by carding an 8-over par round of 52 (77-75). He moved up to a tie for 16th with rounds of 77 and 75.

Four USF golfers played as individuals. Sophomore Hank Eggebraaten finished 22nd after carding a 13-over par two-round total of 157 (81-76). Tied for 23rd was junior Bronson Vasa, who was 14-over par at 158 (84-75). With a 75 today, Vasa shot is top round at USF.  Tied for 29th was junior Jake Oetzmann with a 17-over par 161 (79-82). And finishing 32nd was sophomore Nathan Woodall at 18-over par, 162 (84-78). Woodall cut six shots off his day one total with his 78 today.

Cooney leads USF to a 14th place tie Missouri Southern State Invite
Led by three-time All-NSIC performer JJ Cooney, USF finished in a tie for 14th in the team standings at the Missouri Southern State Invite which concluded on Sept. 24. Bad weather ended the tournament after 36 holes.After opening with a 309 in the opening 18 holes, the Cougars dropped their score by 13 shots and carded a 296 to finish at 605 through 36 holes. Cooney finished one-over par with a 145 (75-70) as he opened with a 75 and had a 70 in the second round to finish in a tie for 25th.  Zosel finished the 36 holes at seven-over par and 151 (78-73). He opened at 78 and improved by five shots in round two with a season-best 73 as he sits in a tie for 62nd place. Evans had a pair of consistent rounds and was tied for 70 with a nine over par 153 (77-76).
Senior Brenden Bassing finished tied for 79th with a 12-over par 156 with rounds of 79 and 77.  Also for USF senior Blake Berry finished in a tied for 94th with an 18-over par two-round total of 162 (85-77). Sophomore Hank Eggebraaten was tied for 103rd with a 25-over par total of 169 (95-74).  Eggebraaten carded a career-best round of 74 in round two to help the Cougars, which moved from 17th after round one to a tie for 14th.

Cooney leads USF to third place finish to open season at Watkins Invite
JJ Cooney shot a program-NCAA DII best 140 (71-69) and won a two-hole playoff to claim his first individual title while leading USF to a third place finish at the Watkins Invitational at the Jewel Golf Club on Sept. 5-7. The Cougars, which had career-best marks from Cooney, Jack Evans, Blake Berry and Nathan Woodall, carded a USF DII-program-best two-round total of 583. USF not only carded the best second day total at the tournament but set a program 18-hole round mark with a 285. The Cougars opened with a 298 and then came in with a three-under par total of 285 to finish third with a seven-over par 583. The Cougars finished only behind team champion Winona State, which had an eight-under 568 (278-290), and second place Washburn at 573 (287-286). The third place finish was the team's top overall mark since taking third this past spring at the Upper Iowa Spring Invite on March 30-31, 2019. Cooney, a three-time All-NSIC performer from Pickstown, S.D., was named USF's Player to Watch in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll and showed it at the Watkins Invitational. He won the tournament in a two-hole playoff with Dylan Brown (68-72) and Brady Madsen (66-74), who also finished with a four-under par total of 140. In setting the DII-program low, Cooney bettered the mark of fellow senior and teammate Brenden Bassing, who carded a 141 (73-68) at the Bemidji State Invite on Sept. 11-12, 2017. In fact, Cooney improved his two-round best by five shots as he had a 145 (70-75) at the NSIC Preview Invite on April 5-6, 2019 at Shoal Creek in Kansas City, Mo. USF was able to set the program's best single round and two-round totals because every member of the team improved their scores from day one to day two. Aside from Cooney, sophomore Jack Evans had a career-best two-round total of 145 (75-70) to finish in a tie for ninth. He finished one over par after rounds of 75 and 70. 
Senior Blake Berry also made substantial improvement from day one as he moved up seven spots to a tie for 16th by following his opening day 75 with a career-best round of 72 and a three-over par total of 147. Berry's total was an improvement of his previous best mark by 12 shots. He shot a previous best of 159 (79-80) at the Augustana Invitational on Sept. 29-30, 2018. Sophomore Nathan Woodall was another team member who shattered his previous best two-round total. He finished in a tie for 20th with a four-over par total of 148 (75-73), which bettered his previous mark of 157 (76-81) at the BSU Invitational on Sept. 10, 2018. He opened with a 75 and closed at 73, which bettered his previous best round of 75 at the NSIC Preview Invitational on April 6, 2019. Both junior Jacob Zosel and senior Brenden Bassing improved from day one totals to aid USF's cause. They both carded 152s and earned ties at 33rd. Bassing, who opened with a 79, shot a 73 on day two and finished eight over par while moving up 16 spots. Zosel opened with a 77 and had a 75 on day two for his eight-over par total.
 
Cougars take sixth at BSU Invite as Evans finishes T-11th
Led by sophomore Jack Evans (T-11th), the University of Sioux Falls Men's Golf Team finished in a tie for sixth place at the Bemidji State Invitational which concluded Tuesday at the Bemidji Town & Country Club. Evans finished the tournament as the top-ranked Cougar at a tie for 11th as he carded a two-day total of 149 (+4 to par, 76-73), which is the second best outing in his collegiate career (75-70-145, Watkins Invite). Evans, who jumped from an opening day total of 76 to 73 led the Cougars to a team total of 614 (308-306). USF was tied with Manitoba, which had a 614 with rounds of 313 and 301. During the rainy first round on Monday, the Cougars carded a 308. On Tuesday, the Cougars were able to finish two strokes better than Monday and recorded a team score of 306. Minot State won the team title as they finished with a total of 588 (295-293) which was just three strokes better than the second place team and host, Bemidji State at 585 (296-295). In the tourney, the third through fifth place teams were all separated by four strokes, with Concordia-St. Paul claiming third at 602 (305-297). Concordia-Moorhead finished two strokes behind the Golden Bears at 604 (304-300) and edged St. Cloud State, which carded a 605 (304-301). Aside from Evans, senior JJ Cooney finished six-over par, 150 (75-75) for a 14th place tie and has shot 75 or better in all four rounds this season. Golfing as an individual, senior Blake Berry finished with a two-day total of 153 (80-73) to earn a tie for 23rd. He opened with an 80 and improved on day two by seven strokes as he carded a 73, which was his second best total of the season (72, round two, Watkins Invite). Senior Brenden Bassing had a total of 75 in the first round, but tallied a total of 83 in the second round to finish 35th as he shot a 14-over par, 158. Rounding out the Cougars were sophomore Nathan Woodall and junior Jacob Zosel, who had tournament totals of 161 (84-77) and 163 (82-81), respectively. Both Woodall and Zosel made improvement from day one to day two. Woodall lowered his round from 84-to-77 while Zosel cut one shot off his total as he had an 82 followed up with an 81.

Cougars picked fifth in the NSIC
After working through a solid preseason, the Cougars will tee off at the Watkins Invitational Friday morning. USF will be led by NSIC "Player to Watch" JJ Cooney, a senior from Pickstown, S.D., who became USF's first ever three-time All-NSIC selection last spring. In the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll released this fall, USF received 45 vote points and finished just two points behind Bemidji State at 47. USF jumped up 12 vote points from a year ago when the Cougars were tabbed seventh with 33 points.

Winona State was the league favorite with six of 10 first place votes and 77 points. Concordia St. Paul earned two first place votes and 71 points for second in the preseason poll while Minnesota State had one first place vote and 69 points. BSU, which finished just ahead of USF for fourth, had one first place vote with its 47 vote points.