Warriors Maintain No. 3 Ranking

Ottumwa -- The Indian Hills golf team heads to this weekend’s Beu/Mussatto tournament in Macomb, Illinois still ranked third in the nation.  The Warriors trail Central Alabama and McLennan (Tex) in the NJCAA Division I poll released by Golf World/Nike Golf and the Golf Coaches Association of America.

The Warriors began the spring campaign rated third and have played in only one meet so far.  They had an impressive showing in that outing, finishing second in the UST Mamiya Texas Intercollegiate event as the only two-year school in the 11-team field.  IHCC was weathered out in the John A. Logan Spring Invitational earlier this week. 

Indian Hills is the defending champ in the Beu/Mussatto tourney, defeating host Western Illinois by 18 strokes in last year’s invite.  There will be two 18-hole rounds on Friday and one on Saturday.

Solid Second for Warriors in First Meet

Fort Worth, Texas -- Indian Hills started a season they hope ends with raising the third straight national championship trophy with a second-place finish in the UST Mamiya Texas Intercollegiate.  The Warriors, the only two-year school in the 11-team field, had rounds of 296 and 292 for a 588 total, 16 strokes behind champ Texas Wesleyan University, the top-rated team in the NAIA poll.

The Warriors were led by sophomore Ben Ludlam, last year's winner of the Phil Mickelson Award given to the nation's top freshman golfer from a two-year college.  Ludlam opened the spring season with a one-under par 71 and followed with a three-under 69, tied for the lowest score of the day.  His 140 total was good for a three-way tie for second place, one shot back of Texas Wesleyan's Nathan Anderson.

Ludlam was one of four Warriors to finish in the top 25.  Sophomore Mitch Tucker had rounds of 71 and 75 and tied for eighth.  A pair of IHCC freshmen, Colin Pearson and Connor Peck, tied for 20th and 23rd, respectively.  Pearson shaved five strokes off his opening-round score with a 73 on Tuesday; Peck was two shots better than the first day with a 75.

William White of Indian Hills had a pair of 77s and tied for 29th place.

Indian Hills was 6th in the UST Mamiya meet last year, when the Warriors won their second consecutive national title.

The Warriors are idle until playing in the John A. Logan Spring Invite in Marion, Illinois March 24-25.

UST Mamiya Texas Intercollegiate

Team Scores

1. Texas Wesleyan  289-283=572; 2. Indian Hills  296-292=588; 3. Our Lady of the Lake  298-298=596; 4. Wayland Baptist  311-291-602; 5. Oklahoma City  311-297=608; 6. Rogers State  308-303=611; 7. Southwestern College  316-319=635; 8. John Brown  326-329=655; 9. Oklahoma Wesleyan  342-327=669; 10. Southwestern Christian  338-332=670; 11. Mid-America Christian  343-340=683

Indian Hills Scores

T2. Ben Ludlam  71-69=140; T8. Mitch Tucker  71-75=146; T20. Colin Pearson  78-73=151; T23 Connor Peck  77-75=152; T29. William White 77-77=154; T43. Luke Monson  78-84=162; T49. Kevin Workman 86-80=166