Ranked sixth in the NCAA Great Lakes Region, the DePauw Men’s Golf team finished seventh out of nine teams at Wittenberg’s Rosencrans-Maurer Invite in Springfield, Ohio on Monday.
DePauw shot a two-round 614 at the invite. Wittenberg won with a 565.
Junior Quinn Smith led the Tigers with a 15th-place finish at 148, as sophomore Andrew Derringer tied for 25th at 152. Sophomore Jackson Mihevc finished with a 158, while junior Sean Steinman and first-year Josh Krutchik each shot a 161.
“Andrew Derringer has been playing real well. He's a great putter and he has a good mentality on the golf course, which helps the entire team because we all recognize his game,” said first-year Michael Wittenberg.
The Tigers play a challenging circle of teams this season. Many of the players feel as though they have not yet reached their potential, nor have they capitalized on their capabilities.
“I have had issues with my ball striking all spring but hope to figure it out before this weekend. I have been practicing a little more than usual to hopefully figure out my swing,” said Derringer.
Despite these critical self reflections, the team is recognizing strengths in each other, ultimately heightening the team confidence.
“Mike Wittenberg played great in his first tournament of the spring, shooting 77-74 as an individual. It seemed like every player who came this weekend contributed for at least one round,” said Krutchik.
The Tigers are taking the challenges in stride.
“Our biggest adversity so far this season has been not playing as well as we know we are capable of, but we plan on correcting that this weekend at conference,” said Senior Drake Dunaway.
The Tigers compete in the North Coast Athletic Conference Championships Event 1 in Streetsboro, Ohio on Saturday and Sunday, ready to use their consistent team morale to their advantage.