Blue Raiders set sights on fifth straight C-USA trophy

Monday, April 24

Texarkana, Texas

Middle Tennessee

Conference USA Championship

4/23/2023 9:00:00 AM | Men's Golf

Photo Gallery

By: Thomas Donley, MT Athletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee men's golf enters the Conference USA Championship this week looking to take home a trophy for the fifth straight tournament. The Blue Raiders snapped a streak of three consecutive team championships in 2022, but Michael Barnard took the individual title and will look to defend his crown at Texarkana Country Club in Texarkana, Texas. The tournament consists of three rounds of stroke play, after which the top four teams will face off in match play to determine the champion.

At No. 70, the Blue Raiders are the highest-ranked team in Conference USA in the latest Golfstat rankings. The only other team in the top 100 is Charlotte at No. 81. MTSU is 12-4-1 head-to-head against C-USA opponents this season.

MTSU is coming off a 10th-place finish at Vanderbilt's Mason Rudolph Championship with a score of 867 (+15). Barnard finished eighth at 208 (-5), closing the event with an eagle on the 18th hole.

WEATHER FORECAST
The forecast for the tournament shows chances of rain and cloudy conditions throught the tournament.

NOTES

The Blue Raiders enter the tournament ranked No. 71 in the Golfweek Collegiate Team Rankings and No. 70 in the most recent Golfstat rankings.
Owen Stamper is ranked No. 154 in the country in the most recent Golfweek rankings and No. 176 by Golfstat, the highest-ranked Conference USA player on either list.
Stamper's 205 (-11) at the Lake Las Vegas Invitational was a new career low.
Stamper leads the Blue Raiders with a scoring average of 70.9.
Stamper, Markus Varjun and Michael Barnard have combined for six Conference USA Player of the Week awards, the most in a season since MTSU joined the league.
Kevin Jegers recorded individual victories in back-to-back tournaments in 2021-22, each time setting the program 54-hole record.
MTSU returns three of its four players who played in 30 rounds or more in '21-22, including Barnard, Jegers, and Owen Stamper.
The three newcomers to the '22-23 roster include a Power 5 transfer Tate Heintzelman (Indiana), and true freshmen Sheldon McKnight and Luke Perkins.
Also joining the Blue Raider program are former letterman Payne Denman, who returns as an assistant coach, and former MTSU tennis player Chris Edge, who will serve as a graduate assistant.

COACH'S COMMENTS: MARK MCENTIRE
"We have been waiting all year to put it together, so this is the week! Everyone is excited and ready to play!"

LINEUP
1. Michael Barnard
2. Owen Stamper
3. Gavin Clements
4. Kevin Jegers
5. Markus Varjun
Alternate: Carter Maneth

TOURNAMENT INFO

	Conference USA Championship
Dates	Monday, April 24 - Thursday, April 27
Course	Texarkana Country Club Texarkana, Texas Par 72, 6,969 yards
Format	18 holes Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; four-team match play Thursday
Teams (10)	Middle Tennessee, UAB, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Rice, UTSA, UTEP, Charlotte, Western Kentucky
Live Scoring	Golfstat