VU Golf shows steady improvement in Spring season opener

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. – The 2023 Vincennes University Golf team began their Spring schedule earlier this week by taking part in the Goosepond Spring Fling at Goosepond Colony in Alabama.

The first two rounds of this 54-hole tournament took place Monday, with the teams returning to the course for the third round Tuesday.

The Trailblazers got off to a slow start in the opening round of the tournament, with VU as a team shooting a 323, which placed them seventh out of eight teams competing.

VU would improve greatly in their second round of the day, taking 13 shots off their score and shooting a 310, which was third best for the round and allowed the Blazers to move up to sixth overall after the first day.

Vincennes would return to the course for the third and final round Tuesday morning and while the team shot a 319 as a whole, it was still enough to edge out Lincoln Trail College by one shot and give the Blazers a fifth place finish for the tournament. VU ended with a three-round team score of 952.

Sophomore Paxton Schwomeyer (Oakland City, Ind.) led the Trailblazers as an individual, shooting a first round 76, a 73 in the second round and finishing with a 77 on Tuesday, earning him a seventh-place finish.

Freshman Aaron Brink (Nashville, Ill.) would be the next lowest VU scorer, showing the best improvement of the day going from a first round 82 to a second round 74 and ending with a 76 on Tuesday to place 15th.

Sophomore Adam Leach (North Vernon, Ind.) placed 22nd with a tournament score of 237, while freshman Nate Olson (Greenwood, Ind.) placed 29th at 241.

Sophomores Luke VanDeventer (Columbus, Ind.) and Sam Stewart (Floyds Knobs, Ind.) round of the Trailblazers scorers with VanDeventer placing 37th at 253 and Stewart ending at 41st with 262.

"We got off to a slow start," VU Hall of Fame Golf Coach Dennis Chattin said. "We bounced back in the second round, with only the two DI schools shooting lower scores."

"Paxton had two really good rounds for the first time he has played after missing most of the fall with a hand injury," Chattin added. "Aaron came back in the second round with a 74 and Adam was playing as an individual but had his low back to back rounds. Preston Broce has a shoulder injury and couldn't play and he has been playing really well. We could have used his help in the first two rounds."

The Trailblazers will look to continue to improve as they move onto their next tournament, the Lincoln Trail Invitational on Thursday, March 16 at Quail Creek in Robinson, Ill.

This will be a one day, 27-hole tournament, with the field set to tee off at 12:30 p.m. eastern.

RESULTS

TEAM RESULTS

John A. Logan – 885

Calhoun CC – 892

Rend Lake – 927

Mineral Area -929

VINCENNES – 952

Lincoln Trail – 953

Northeast Alabama CC – 986

NE Alabama (B) – 1064

VINCENNES RESULTS

Paxton Schwomeyer (7) – 76, 73, 77 – 226

Aaron Brink (T15) – 82, 74, 76 – 232

Adam Leach (T22) – 78, 76, 73 – 237

Nate Olson (T29) – 80, 82, 79 – 241

Luke VanDeventer (37) – 85, 81, 87 – 253

Sam Stewart (41) – 89, 83, 90 - 262