Click here for printer-friendly (PDF) version of release

BAY CITY, Mich. - Ferris State University senior Garrett Simons (Grand Ledge, Mich.) was named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) men's golf "Athlete of the Week" after finishing in a two-way tie for second place at the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region Tournament III in Noblesville, Ind. over the weekend.

GLIAC Men’s Golf Athlete of the Week
Garrett Simons - Ferris State University
(SR, Grand Ledge, Mich.)

Ferris State University senior Garrett Simons led Ferris State with a one-under par and season-best 143-stroke total (71-72=143) to tie Rockhurst's Clarke Fy (143, -1) for second-place honors at the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region. The two finished two strokes back of Indianapolis' Jacob Yocum (141, -3) for tournament medalist. Simons strong performance helped the Bulldogs finish the tournament in third place (295-302=597).

Ashland - The Eagles finished second last weekend (Apr. 10-11) at the NCAA Regional Tournament in Noblesville, Ind.  Ashland was fifth after the first round and vaulted into second place on the final day. AU had a team score of 596. Indianapolis won the event with a team score of 582. The Eagles, who were ranked seventh in the region last week, have finished sixth and second at the last two regional events.  At last week’s tournament, held at the Purgatory Golf Club, junior Steve Bednar (Munroe Falls, Ohio/Stow) finished fourth.  He shot 144, three strokes behind medalist Jacob Yocum of Indianapolis.  AU junior Jay Overy (Grafton, Ohio/Midview) finished fifth at 145.  The Eagles are idle this coming weekend.

Ferris State - The Bulldogs placed third as a result of registering a two-round 597 score (295-302=597, +21) at the 25-team Great Lakes Regional Tournament III (April 10-11) in Noblesville, Ind.  Ferris State, which had three individuals place among the top 20, placed one stroke in back of second-place Ashland (596, +20) on the par 72, 7,268-yard Purgatory Golf Course.  Senior Garrett Simons (Grand Ledge) lead the Bulldogs with a second-place tying one-under par 143 score (71-72=143) and finished two strokes behind for tourney medalist honors.  Senior Kyle Wittenbach (Lowell) claimed a share of 13th place by carding a 149 (73-76=149, +5) while junior Ian Straayer (Caledonia/Grandville) produced a 151-stroke total (78-73=151, +7) to earn a 19th-place tie. Garrett Simons’ two-round 143 score at the Great Lakes Regional Tournament III (April 10-11) marked a season best, bettering his sixth-place tying 147-stroke total (74-73=147) at the Great Lakes Region Invitational II (Oct. 18-19) in St. Louis, Mo. Ferris State will participate in the Detroit Titans Invitational this weekend (April 15-16) at the Prestwick Village Golf Course in Highland, Mich. 

Findlay - The University of Findlay men’s golf team placed 17th at the third NCAA Regional of the year, which was completed on Monday, April 11 at the Purgatory Golf Course in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Oilers shot a two-round score of 622 (310, 312) as Indianapolis won the event with a 582 (292, 290).

Grand Valley State - Grand Valley State tied for fifth place at the 25-team Great Lakes Regional #3 in Noblesville, Ind. The Lakers’ team score of 605 (+29) tied them with Wisconsin-Parkside. GVSU shot a 302 on Sunday and a 303 on Monday, as three GVSU golfers placed in the top-20…junior Nick Gunthorpe (Lansing, Mich.) fired rounds of 76-74 for a 150 (+6), tying him for 17th place. Freshmen Chris Cunningham (Milford, Mich.) and Alex Willnow (Adrian, Mich.) tied with six other golfers for 19th place with a 151 (+7). Cunningham shot 74-77 for his total, while Willnow went 75-76 over the two days for his score…senior Josh Burt (Holt, Mich.) tied for 36th place with a 153 (+9), as he was consistent with a 77-76. Sophomore Chase Olsen (White Pigeon, Mich.) went 77-84 for a 161 (+17), tying for 91st place…the Lakers compete next at the GLIAC Preview in Lansing, Mich. on April 22-23.

Lake Erie Storm -  Lake Erie did not compete this week, and will next be in action April 15 at the Lake Erie Invitational presented by Qdoba in Madison, Ohio.

Lake Superior State - Freshman Brandon Vizina (Indian River, Mich.) shot a 77-80—157 to tie for 70th and lead Lake Superior State at the Indianapolis regional. Sophomore Brent Vizina (Indian River, Mich.), who tied for 91st, has the Lakers’ low average of 79.6, while Brandon is second at 80.1. The Lakers play April 16-17 at Lake Erie.

Northern Michigan - The Northern Michigan University golf team played its third meet of 2011, finishing 23rd at Purgatory Golf Club on Sunday and Monday (April 10-11). Tony Bilich led the way for NMU with a weekend score of 157 good for 70th overall. He shot the only sub-80 round for the ‘Cats with his second round score of 76. Joe Hansen, Adam Huss and Mike Murphy all shot 165. Jared Reid was two strokes back at 167. NMU gets back on the course this Sunday (April 17), playing at the Lake Erie Tournament.

Northwood - The Northwood University men's golf placed 13th out of 25 teams at the NCAA Regional #3 Monday afternoon (April 12). The 36-hole event was held at the Purgatory Golf Club, which played at 7,268 yards (Par 72). Northwood shot team scores of 309 and 306 to finish at 615 overall. Indianapolis was the overall winner at 582, followed by Ashland at 596. Nick Prokop (Novi, Mich.) was the top finisher for the Timberwolves. He finished with a two-day total of 147, good for three-over par and a tie for eighth out of 125 golfers. Northwood returns to action at the Lake Erie Invitational April 17-18.

Ohio Dominican Panthers - Along with competing against the 25-team field, comprised of GLIAC and GLVC schools, Ohio Dominican’s men’s golf team also battled Purgatory Golf Course, fittingly named with holes such as Stains of the Inferno and Eternal Torment, to earn a 14th place finish at the Great Lakes Regional #3 this past Monday. The Panthers finished with a two-day total of 619 (308-311), narrowly edging out Quincy (621) for 14th and just 12 strokes out of seventh. With back-to-back tournament low rounds, Indianapolis ran away with the team title with a 582 (292-290), while fellow GLIAC members Ashland (596) and Ferris State (597) battled to second and third place. Freshman Alex Nikias (Cincinnati, OH) and junior Ben Calvert (Franklin, OH) tied for the team lead, each posting two-round scores of 152 to tie for 27th, while Calvert shot the low round of the regional for ODU with a 74 on Sunday. Sophomores Tyler Sebert (Grove City, OH) and Kevin Hartoin (Cincinnati, OH) finished four and seven strokes back to tie for 61st and 76th, respectively. Jacob Yocum snatched the individual honors with a 141 (70-71). ODU returns to the course this Saturday, April 16 for the two-day Lake Erie Invitational (GLIAC) at Madison C.C. in Painesville, Ohio.

Saginaw Valley State - The Saginaw Valley State University men’s golf team competed in the third Great Lakes Regional Tournament on Sunday and Monday.  The event was held at the par-72, 7,268 yard Purgatory Golf Course in Noblesville, Ind. The Cardinals were in 11th place after day one, which saw SVSU shoot a 309 (+19) total.  The University of Indianapolis led after the opening day, shooting a four-over total of 292. Mike Horn (Clarkston, Mich.) and Eric Gandy (Midland, Mich./Bullock Creek HS) were the top finishers after the first 18 holes, both firing rounds of 75 to tie for 26th place at three-over par.  Adam Hansen (Auburn, Mich./Bay City Western HS) finished round one tied for 48th place with a 77 (+5). SVSU improved its score on day two, carding a 300 total to finish in a tie for seventh place in the event with Northern Kentucky University and Wayne State University.  Indianapolis held on to claim a 14-stroke victory over Ashland University to win the tournament. Gandy followed up his first round score with a second round 71 (-1) to finish in a tie for sixth place with a total of 146 (+2).  Horn shot a second round 77 to end up at 152 (+8) for the event, tying for 27th place.  Nate Kelly (Suttons Bay, Mich.) bounced-back from a first round 81 to shoot a 73 on day two and finish in a tie for 44th place (154, +10). The Cardinals are back in action again at the Lake Erie College Invitational, which will be held on April 16-17 in Painesville, Ohio.

Tiffin - Tiffin men’s golf shot +23 (311) on day two of the third NCAA regional to finish 10th at +32, just three strokes from a top 5 finish. Jason Crow turned in the low round of the day for the Dragons at +4 (76) and, combined with his 78 in round one, finished the tournament at +10 and tied for 44th. James Bell and Blake DeBruyn shot a 77 and 78 to finish at +5 and +7, respectively, to both earn top 20 finishes. Bell finished tied for 13th while DeBruyn finished tied for 19th. Rounding out the field is Dillon and Jon Klein tied for 53rd and 86th. Dillon shot 81 (+9), and, combined with his +2 on day one, finished the tournament at +11 (155). Jon shot an 80 on both days to finish the tournament +16 (160).

Wayne State - The Wayne State University golf team was among three schools to tie for seventh place at the Great Lakes Regional at Purgatory, which concluded Monday. Wayne State carded a team score of 303 on Monday (607), putting the Warriors in a tie with Northern Kentucky and Saginaw Valley State. Indianapolis finished in first place by a commanding margin (582). The top Warrior on the leaderboard was Steve Fedewa (Howell, Mich.), who shot 75 on Monday for a two-round score of 149. He finished in a tie for 13th place, eight strokes off the pace set by medalist Jacob Yocum of Indianapolis (141). Jack Mitroka (Riverview, Mich.) tied for 19th (75-76--151) while Eric Johnson (Marquette, Mich.) turned in another 76 to finish a stroke back in a tie for 27th (152). Hagan Risner (Garden City, Mich.) tied for 63rd (79-76--155) and Josh Mitroka (Riverview, Mich.) tied for 76th (82-77--159). Wayne State will compete in the Lake Erie Invitational in Painesville, Ohio, beginning Saturday.