The Grand Valley State men’s golf team traveled to Noblesville, Indiana, to play in the Indianapolis Spring Invitational from Sunday, April 8, through Tuesday, April 10. 

The Lakers finished in second place overall in a field that consisted mostly of GLIAC rivals. This tournament would serve as the last tune-up for the team before next week’s GLIAC tournament.

Day one saw the Lakers shoot a 286 as a team, which was good enough for them to be slotted in third place. The Lakers finished day one behind Missouri St. Louis, which shot a 281, and Tiffin University, which shot a 282. 

Individually, Bryce Messner was the top finisher for GVSU after day one, as he shot a 68(-4) on the day. Alex Scott carded a 71(-1) in day one, good enough to finish tied for 12th, while senior teammate Domenic Mancinelli finished tied for 23th after the first day with a score of 73(+1). Freshman Eric Nunn shot a 74(+2) for 37th place, and Mitchell White struggled to get going on the day, shooting a 78(+6).

Day two was a much-needed improvement for the team across the board, as GVSU jumped over Tiffin on the leaderboard to sit in second place. The team shot a 289 for the round, bringing their two-day total to 575—just three strokes behind the leader, Missouri St. Louis.

Scott was the top Laker on day two: He shot a 69(-3) on the day, trailing the individual leader by only three strokes. Mancinelli made a big jump in the standings to sit tied for sixth, shooting a 70(-2) for the day. Messner, meanwhile, struggled mightily after his big performance on day one. He dropped down tied for 26th, carding a 79(+7) on the second day. Nunn remained consistent, shooting another 74 to move up to 31st, and Mitchell White rounded up the Laker lineup by shooting a 76(+4).

GVSU went into the final day trailing only one team and having to turn in a stellar performance, but the team fell just short of coming back to finish in first place. The Lakers shot a 294 to bring their total for the tournament to 869(+5). This was good enough for second place, trailing Missouri St. Louis by only one stroke. 

Scott shot a 70(-2) on the final day, earning himself an individual first place for the tournament after shooting a three-day total of 210(-6). Because of his stellar round, Scott was awarded GLIAC Men’s Golfer of the Week.

Macinelli also managed a top-five finish after shooting a 72(E) on the day, and his three-day total was 215(-1), good enough for him to finish tied for fourth. Messner shot a 75 on the last day and brought his three-day total to 222(+6). Nunn shot a 77 on the last day, or a 225(+9) for the tournament. White shot a 79 on day three, bringing his total to 233(+17). Messner, Nunn and White finished tied for 29th, tied for 39th and tied for 71st, respectively. 

GVSU men’s golf coach Gary Bissell thinks his team is in a good position heading into the GLIAC tournament.

“We have got Alex and Dom rolling right now, so I know our horses are going to do their job,” Bissell said. “We are sitting in a really good place, and I feel good and feel like the rest of our lineup is going to step up at the right time.” 

The GVSU men’s golf team will be back in action Friday, April 20, in Nashport, Ohio, to play in the GLIAC Championship.