The Eastern men’s golf team finished 20^th in the 21-team Arkansas State Red Wolves Intercollegiate tournament over the weekend. The Panthers finished with a stroke total of 940, ahead of Meridian (MS) Community College, who finished with 952 strokes.

Senior James Jansen led all Panthers with 229 strokes, while fellow senior Oscar Borda followed with 230 strokes to lead the Panthers. Jansen shot 13-over-par tying for 52nd place overall in the tournament and Borda finished tied for 58th place.

Sophomores Marcus Dahlin and Daniel Hughes placed third and fourth for the Panthers, with 239 and 242 strokes, respectively. Freshman Nick Yuhas rounded out the Panthers Top 5, finishing with 248 strokes.

Delta State emerged with the team victory following the two-day tournament that began on Saturday. A total of four Statesmen golfers finished within two strokes of each other.

Senior Chad Cupples led the way for the Statesmen, tied for 4^th place shooting 1-over par with a total 217 strokes.

Senior Brad Thornton and junior Reed Lindsey followed with 219 and 220 strokes. Thornton finished tied for ninth, while Lindsey tied for 12 place. Sophomore Zack Pritchett finished within two strokes of Lindsey with 222.

DePaul finished second place in the team category, as sophomore Jonathan Hewitt led the Blue Demons with 217 strokes, to tie with Cupples for fourth place. Freshman Freddy Thomas was the only other Blue Demon to finish in the Top 10. Thomas finished tied for seventh place with 218 strokes.

Tennessee Tech University took 3rd place overall, and had two players finish in the Top 5. Senior Lee Whitehead and junior Mitchell Thomas finished tied for first and fourth, respectively. Whitehead shot 4-under with 212 strokes for the tournament, while Thomas finished 1-over.

Whitehead tied with Nicholls State senior Andri Bjornssen for the top prize. Senior Jordan Fahel of Illinois State took third place shooting 2-under and was the only player to finish untied in the Top-10.

The host team, Arkansas State, took fourth place in the tournament, while Ohio Valley Conference member Tennessee-Martin rounded out the Top Five teams in the tournament.

The Red Wolves were led by freshman Tanner Napier’s 220 strokes, as he finished tied for 12^th place. Junior Seth Garner and sophomore Matthew Loiacaino tied for 15^th, with 221 strokes apiece.

UT-Martin was led by freshman Hunter Richardson, who finished tied for ninth with 219 strokes. He was the Skyhawks only Top 10 finisher.

The Panthers will return to action in two weeks for the Xavier Invitational in Cincinnati.

Blake Nash can be reached at 581-2812 or banash@eiu.edu