The Online Reflector

The University of Indianapolis men’s golf team tied for first place with Northern Kentucky University after both schools recorded a team score of 584 between the two rounds on March 31 and April 1.

In order to decide the team champion, both team’s top five golfers played a sudden-death playoff. NKU finished the round one under par while the Greyhounds finished one above par. NKU took the team trophy by winning the playoff but the tournament will appear as a tie on the both teams’ win-loss records.

Senior Aaron Monson finished with scores of 69 and 74, one under par, and tied for fourth place among the 124 golfers who competed.

Senior Rob Gleixner came in at seventh place with an even par of 144.

The Greyhounds finished with runners-up honors at the Parkside Spring Invitational on March 24-25.

Monson led the team with a low score of 68 and finished five under par. Gleixner also finished eighth with a pair of 71s.

Following the February UNO Mardi Gras Invitational in Avondale, La., the team began its spring season at the Homewood Suites Siena Invitational in Port St. Lucie, Fla., March 16-17.

Playing at the Professional Golfers Association Village on the Wannamaker Course, the team placed fourth out of seven teams. Gleixner led the team in points. He scored 77 and 74, which earned him seventh place in the 44-player tournament.

Gleixner said he attributes much of his success in Indianapolis to the coaching staff, his teammates and his determination.

“It’s all about dedication and hard work,” Gleixner said. “I didn’t really change my techniques [during the off-season], I just worked hard on the foundations of my game and worked out a lot to stay physically fit and mentally ready.”

Monson and sophomore Max Bowling also did well in the tournament. Monson finished with matching 77s, and Bowling finished with scores of 77 and 78. Monson tied for 15th place, while Bowling landed at 17th.

Bowling, who like Gleixner, has been on the golf team his entire career at UIndy, said that he prepared during the off-season by conditioning consistently and doing activities to strengthen his core. He also emphasized the importance of hard work in the sport of golf.

“[My goals are] to make it to nationals, to play smart and to play together as a team,” Bowling said.

Other members of the team also placed at the tournament. Sophomore David Frank scored 82 and 75, tying with junior Jon Jozefowski, who scored 79 and 78 for 22nd place. Junior Tobin Dunigan had a score of 86 and 76, which tied him for 34th. Sophomore Jacob Yocum, who had a score of 74 and 79, placed 11th.

Gleixner set  goals for the spring season and hopes to continue to do well.

“A goal of mine is to win a golf tournament this spring. I feel like I’m pretty close,” he said. “I think I can do it if I just continue to work hard and play well and gain more confidence.”

Bowling talked about the challenge of balancing his golf career with his academics. He found that practicing was easier when he was in high school.

“I have [found balancing school and golf difficult] because it’s a different step for me,” Bowling said. “I had a golf course in my backyard in my high school, so instead of driving 30 minutes to play, I could just walk out and play the course. Then on top of that, school is harder [than it was in high school].”

Gleixner said that while he recognizes the importance of school, he too, has encountered difficulties finding time to fulfill all his academic and athletic responsibilities.

“It’s really hard [to balance golf with academics] because I’m taking 16 hours – which isn’t really that much, but I have upper-level classes for business,” Gleixner said. “And I have a lot of group work, so I have to meet late at night or early in the morning. There are a lot of late nights because I still have to find time to practice.”

The next event for the men’s golf team is the Great Lakes Regional No. 4,  April 8-9.