MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Concordia University Men’s Golf team joined several of the top NAIA squads from the region on Monday (April 8) as the first two of three rounds of the Midwest Spring National Invite played out at Colbert Hills Golf Course in Manhattan, Kan. The Bulldogs hung in the top four of the team standings after round one before slipping back to 11th place by the day’s conclusion. The tournament, hosted by Kansas Wesleyan University, includes 15 NAIA teams (six from the GPAC).
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad shot a two-round total of 301-312–613 on day one of the invite. Concordia will enter round three situated in front of GPAC rivals Midland (614), Hastings (622) and Dordt (649). Three NAIA top 25 teams are part of the field: No. 17 MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), No. 20 Bellevue University and No. 21 Friends University (Kan.).
There are five Bulldogs in the field of 76 golfers in Manhattan. Fifth-year collegiate competitor Drew D’Ercole has paced Concordia with a two-round score of 72-74–146 (+2), placing him in a tie for 13th. He’s just two strokes out of the top 10 (the tournament co-leaders sit at 141). D’Ercole is followed in the Bulldog lineup by Justin Webert (73-78–151; T-24th), Jake Hagerbaumer (81-75–156; T-45th), Jacob Dowd (76-85–161; 61st) and Gavin McWhorter (80-85–165; T-66th).
The Bulldogs entered the tournament with a season scoring average of 304.8 They have shot below 300 in six rounds during the 2023-24 campaign.
Concordia Results – Midwest Spring National Invite
TEAM: 301-312–613 (11th out of 15)
T13. Drew D’Ercole: 72-74–146
T24. Justin Webert: 73-78–151
T45. Jake Hagerbaumer: 81-75–156
61. Jacob Dowd: 76-85–161
T66. Gavin McWhorter: 80-85–165
The third and final round of the tournament is slated to get underway at 8 a.m. CT in Manhattan. Once the Midwest Spring National Invite is in the books, the Bulldogs will shift their focus to the Nebraska Wesleyan Invite coming up Sunday-Monday (April 14-15).