ONALASKA, WISC. - Though the tournament field at the Viterbo V-Hawk Invitational consisted of eight teams representing five schools, Madison College Grey and Navy found themselves in a hotly contested match battle between each other in the 36-hole event on Monday and Tuesday at La Crosse Country Club. Team Grey rallied from one shot back to finish fourth overall with a 646 total, while Team Navy placed sixth at 659. Sophomore Matt Paulson and freshman Andrew Aune led the Grey squad with a pair of Top-20 finishes.

Following the first day, freshman Tyler Koch signed off on the WolfPack's only sub-80 round as his five-over-par 77 led fifth-place Team Navy to a 330-331 advantage over seventh-place Team Grey. However, Grey recovered in a big way on Day 2, posting a 315 to distance themselves from the 329 carded by Team Navy. Kirkwood Community College, which finished fifth at the NJCAA Division II National Championships last season, rallied past rival Iowa Central Community College (A) to win by four shots with a 596 team score.

Paulson and Aune each finished their 36 holes with scores of 14-over 158 to tie for 18th place overall. Paulson, a native of North Prairie, Wisconsin, opened with an 80, and improved two shots to post a 78 on Tuesday. Aune, a former Verona Area HS athlete, shaved six strokes off his total from an 82 to a team-best 76. 

Team Grey also counted a 163 (+19) by Ethan Thomas after the first year player signed off on rounds of 82 and 81, as well as a 167 (+23) from fellow freshman Brent Schmiesing. The Fitchburg, Wisconsin, native made the team's biggest improvement from round-to-round, finishing with an 87 on Monday and coming back with an eight-over 80 in Round 2 to move into 33rd place.

Koch, a former Winneconne HS athlete, sat tied for 12th overall after the first 18 holes, turning in a five-over-par 77. Unfortunately, a stretch of four tough holes on the back nine of Tuesday's shotgun start resulted in an 82 to put him tied for 22nd at 159 (+15). Team Navy also posted a pair of 166s (+22) from sophomore Jake Rebholz and freshman Matt Sitte to tie for 28th overall. Rebholz slashed six strokes from his score, going 86-80 in his two rounds, while Sitte signed off on rounds of 82-84. The final score for Madison College came from Brady Callmer, whose 85-83 added up to a 168 (+24) and a tie for 34th.

Viterbo V-Hawk Invitational Final Results

Up Next:

Madison College will finish out its Fall 2022 season with a triangular at the College of DuPage Invitational at Cantigny Golf in Wheaton, Illinois. The event will feature the WolfPack, the host Chaparrals, and Rock Valley College in a matchup of the three teams who will compete in May 2023 at the Region 4 Division III Tournament. Tee times start at 1:00 p.m.

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