With the season ending, North Dakota State’s Men’s Golf team would head to Iowa City to participate in the Hawkeye Invitational hosted by the Iowa Hawkeyes. NDSU would place tenth overall with a final team score of 900(+36). The University of Kansas would take victory in Iowa with a score of 837(-27). North Dakota State’s rival, South Dakota State, would meet the Bison in Iowa and finish fifth overall with an even total of 864.
In round one, the Bison would shoot 298(+10). Jake Skarperud would have the best opening round for NDSU as he shot a 70(-2). Following Skarperud would be a three-way tie with Ian Simonich, Josh Galvin, and Gabe Benson, who finally saw some late-season action, all shot a 76(+4) in the opening round. Rylin Petry would start the event with a 78(+6). The Bison would sit in 11th place in the thirteen-team field with much room to climb up. The Bison performed well on the score sheet; however, in Finkbine, things were very tight and competitive.
In round two, NDSU would stay put in 11th but improve on the scoresheet with a 297(+9). Rylin Petry would make a giant jump on the scorecard, improving his score to 71(-1) with the help of an eagle and a handful of birdies. Petry jumped 16 spots to end the first day in Iowa. Jake Skarperud would take a slight step back but still put on a fantastic performance with a 73(+1), just missing an even 72. Skarperud totaled seven birdies to sit in 19th place after day one. Third for the Bison would be Ian Simonich, matching his previous score in the early frame with a 76(+4) to sit in a tie for 58th overall. Behind him, Josh Galvin and Gabe Benson would tie again with a 77(+5) to sit tied for 60th overall.
Finally, North Dakota State’s men’s golf team would finish the event and their regular season with, unfortunately, their worst performance of the weekend. NDSU shot a 305(+17) but would climb to finish in 10th place. Leading the way for the Bison in the final 18 was Ian Simonich, who improved his score to a 74(+2), jumping him to 46th place and finishing with a total score of 226(+10). Second for NDSU and placing 43rd overall was Rylin Petry, who shot a 76(+4) and finished in 43rd place with a 225(+9). Third on the final day was Jake Skarperud, who would shoot a 79(+7) to finish at 222(+6) and sit as the highest-placing Bison in a tie for 27th. In a crazy course of events, Gabe Benson and Josh Galvin would tie in all three rounds, tied for 67th with a 334(+18). In the final round, they both shot an 81(+9).
NDSU will participate in the Summit League Championship at the end of the month in Mesa, Arizona.