The men and women have been pretty close to the top of the field in almost every outing, head coach Mike Moncel said.

Senior Chelsea Bach, an Illinois State transfer, said the Panthers have had seven top-10 finishes and of the seven, five have been top-five finishes.

Bach has never won at a tournament in her collegiate career but said she feels “there is no reason for us not to win.”

Bach said the women’s team is progressing and starting to peak at the right time.

“A lot of credit goes to our coach,” Bach said.

Panthers gear up for Ohio Valley Conference tournament

The Panthers have a real shot to win the conference tournament if they play well, Moncel said.

On the men’s side, the Panthers will have a leader in senior Anthony Imburgia, who said the tournament will feature two of the toughest teams in conference, which includes Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee Tech.

“We’re looking for a strong finish,” Imburgia said.

Imburgia is averaging a 74.8 stroke average.

“If you play bad, you’re gonna get run over,” Moncel said about competing at conference.

Junior Jaron Rose said he believes that if Anthony, junior Mike Imburgia and himself click, they can have a chance to win the OVC tournament.

Chance to qualify for conference tourney

The women’s team will have a chance to improve its game at the Illini Invitational at the Stone Creek Golf Course before the OVC tournament.

The men’s team will compete at the Missouri State Invitational and the Tennessee State Invitational before heading to Paducah, Ky., to battle for the OVC title.

The Panthers will play a qualifying tournament to see who will compete at the OVC tournament. The qualifying tournament will be played during practice in the next few weeks. There are nine golfers total, but only five get to compete at the OVC.

Senior garners honors

Anthony won the Kauai Collegiate Cup and the Ohio Valley Conference named the male golfer of the week. During spring break, Imburgia won at Princeville, Hawaii, and is performing up to coach Moncel’s standards.

“We have been expecting that from him,” Moncel said.

“Anthony has been showing me leadership my whole life,” Mike said. “Winning that tournament is something to look up to.”

“Anthony winning was a boost for us all,” Rose said.

Anthony said he was excited to be recognized for his play and was pleased with his teammate’s comments.

“I’m honored they said that,” he said.