Steffens Shares Medalist Honors at Weibring Intercollegiate

NORMAL, Ill. – Leatherneck men’s golf sophomore Nick Steffens recorded a career-low 70 during the final round of the D.A. Weibring Invitational on Monday (Sept. 16) to finish in a tie for first-place in the tournament. The sophomore finished the two-day tournament with a 214 (71-73-70) to top the field of 78 golfers.

“Nick played beautifully today to earn medalist honors,” head coach Mel Blasi said. “His wedge game was terrific the whole tournament and he made some key putts when he really needed them.”

Steffens becomes the first Leatherneck sinceKurt Slatery in April, 2012 to receive medalist honors in a tournament.

“I went into the week with a different mentality, ‘play to win’,” Steffens said. “I started playing much more aggressive from the first hole all the way through the three rounds. I didn’t hit the ball very well off the tee but my short game was on point all week. Starting my first nine holes five-over-par was kind of a shock to me, but I recovered by shooting a (-5), 31, on my back nine to get it back.”

As a team, the Leathernecks finished the tournament in ninth-place with a three-round total of 886 (296-291-299). Loyola University took home the top team honor with an 868, followed by Purdue (869), host Illinois State (870), Arkansas-Little Rock (875) and Northern Iowa (875).

Junior Nate Davis also posted a 70 in the final round to finish the tournament in a tie for 12th-place. The Winchester, Ill. native finished the tournament with a 218 (74-74-70), which is a new three-round career-low.

“Nate and Nick really stepped up today. They were both very competitive and executed the shots that produce a lot of birdie opportunities,” added Blasi. “We just needed a couple of other good scores to go with them and get closer to the top."

Dan Bidle fired a 229 (75-75-79) to finish the tournament in a tie for 58th-place.

Andrew Blackburn (81-69-83) and Matt Calder(76-77-80) both carded scores of 233 during the tournament to finish in a tie for 71st-place.

The Leathernecks will be off until September 30 when they travel to Murray, Ky. to compete in the Murray State Invitational. 

"I have a great feeling about this year and I am very excited to see how the new team plays out," added Steffens. "We have a lot of potential this year and we can certainly win the conference if we continue to grind and work hard on our games in between tournaments."

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