The No. 10 Grand Valley State University men’s golf team won their fifth-straight meet in historic fashion at the UIndy Fall Invitational last Monday and Tuesday. The Lakers set a school record at Broadmoor Country Club, shooting -51, and winning the event by an imposing 23 strokes. They also broke program records for the 18-hole (269) and 36-hole (539).
Four Lakers finished in the top 10, including a first-place finish by senior Bryce Wheeler, who shot a staggering -15 throughout the invitational. Senior Charlie Cooley tied for second place with -11, while senior Andrew Gwilliams and junior Maverick Conaway shot -9 overall, finishing tied for fourth.
In the first round, the Lakers saw immense success, with multiple players shooting under par, including 67 (-5) from Gwilliams and 68 (-4) from Wheeler and Cooley. Gwilliams had two birdies in the first three holes, while Wheeler had three-straight birdies in the front nine holes. Senior Manuel Cue Vargas had the best performance on any hole, as he nailed an eagle on the 12th.
GVSU won the invitational’s first round by eight strokes. Hillsdale College placed second with -6, followed by the University of Illinois Springfield’s -4 and Ferris State University’s -3.
The Lakers had a more dominant performance in the second round, winning by 10 strokes and scoring -19. Wheeler had a masterclass of a second round, shooting -8 with one eagle. Additionally, Gwilliams got -5 with five birdies and Cue Vargas got -4 while finishing the final two holes with a birdie and an eagle.
In the final round, Conaway set a school record for 18-hole performance, shooting 62 (-10). Cooley shot 67 (-5) and Wheeler shot 69 (-3) to lock multiple school records. The Lakers finished extremely strong in the final two holes. All the Lakers had at least one birdie or eagle, all while Conaway and Cooley continued nailing in eagles.
GVSU finished in first place with a total score of -51, followed by Hillsdale finishing in second (-28) and McKendree University finishing third (-8). The only other teams to finish above par were Ferris State University (-6), Gannon University (-6) and the Missouri University of Science and Technology (-3).
Wheeler, named Great Lakers Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Golfer of the Week for his performance, was proud of how the team played and broke records.
“It feels amazing to be able to write ourselves in the history books,” said Wheeler. “We are all incredibly honored.”
Wheeler attributed his performance to staying calm and being himself.
“I played well by just staying patient, playing golf and trying to have fun,” Wheeler said.
Head coach Gareth Lappin was ecstatic about the team’s play in the tournament.
“This week was great, things fell into place and we all pushed each other to perform at a very high level,” Lappin said. “We have such a deep team, and everyone is under pressure to perform each week, which makes us all better.”
Coming up, the Lakers get a small break, as they will return to action Oct. 13-14 at the Copperhead Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida.
